Not Another Tallest Love Story
by beTa-L
Summary: updated! It's the last week before it's decided who will be Tallest. Red or Purple? An evil Council is behind a lot of recent deaths and now they're after one of them. But who? RAPR
1. Starry Stage

Just something I felt like writing… so far, it's about fifty pages long or something. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: zim and all that stuff belongs to jhonen. this also contains some redxpurple lurvness. so dont read if yer not into that stuff.

CHAPTER ONE: Starry Stage

Something magical happens when you step on a stage. It doesn't matter who you are. If you're shy, it can kill you. It you're outgoing, it can make you the most powerful person in the world. For two young Irken boys, it might not even take until they get on stage for one of them to die.

It all started hundreds of years ago. Tallest Miyuki was still in power. Her reign is a different story, though. The story really begins with her entourage, a juvenile Irken growing faster than anyone can keep track.

"When was the last time you were measured?" she asked leisurely. She was in her bed chambers, lying in bed. Everything was green. The bed sheets, the curtains, even the floors and walls. Another Irken, the only other one in the room, was inside with her, picking up her platter that had empty bowls where food once was. He clashed with the room violently, wearing only purple.

"This morning," he replied with equal laziness. It was just another day aboard The Colossal, the same ship passed down from Tallest to Tallest ever since they found the technology. He sighed to himself. He hated this ship. If he ever got the chance, he was going to make a new one. Something bigger. With more kitchens.

"And how tall were you?" she asked.

"Seven foot five," he answered, pretending to have a cool countenance like his leader, but couldn't help smirking.

"You are getting tall, aren't you Purple?" she asked, being a cool eight feet herself. "You might just pass me up, soon." Purple was just a pet name. It wasn't his given name. Actually, his real name was just a bunch of letters and numbers inputted into his PAK when he was born. Normally reciting it wasn't a hassle. Purple was smart and quick, able to think up things quickly, and if not quickly, any question could be easily answered given time. He was somewhat lucky to get a job working with Tallest Miyuki. It was brainless work. Bring her food. Take it away. Give her the bath robes at bath time. She was in her dying years, anyways. He knew it wouldn't be long until she died and he would more than likely take her place. He was the only one tall enough to take the place of a Tallest. The only problem was he didn't feel ready. He knew there was training, but on the inside, he just wished.

Wished that somewhere

Out there

There was someone

Taller

Than

Him.

"RED!" an Irken shouted on the opposite side of a sweaty, misty room. Pipes were running everywhere, spewing fog.

"What?" the requested voice shouted from across the room. Because of all the noise that comes regular in the underbelly of a sauna, everybody had to yell, even if you were standing next to the person.

"Miyuki just finished lunch! Her bath is coming up! Go heat it up!"

Red sighed and stood up from the crumbling wooden chair he dubbed his own. He really didn't understand why he had to follow from that horribly… short Irken's orders. He was ridiculously tall, about seven foot something the last time measured. He couldn't remember facts and numbers all that well. That's why he was happy getting a job in the boiler room. All he had to do was press a button that told the computer to heat up the coils under the tile of the tub. After that, he would go up to her bathroom and mix up the oils and gels that gave the bath a nice smell but also healing properties.

Red wasn't always a boiler room worker. Red wasn't even his real name, anyways. It was just a nickname. His real name was some jumbled mass of numbers and letters typed into his PAK like some sort of barcode. All he really was was a number. When he was younger, fresh out of training, they put him with the other taller Irkens to be a part of the Special Operations unit. Basically, this meant that whatever any other operation couldn't fulfill, he had to make sure that it's his job to complete it. All of that pretty much went down in the can when he accidentally blew up an ally ship in the middle of a small tiff with the Vortians. They just didn't want to give up that couch…

Anyway, he was stripped of his title as a Special Ops officer, and was exiled to the boiler room my Tallest Miyuki. The Tallest always liked Red, said there was something special in his eyes, or some crap like that. Normally, for on offense as huge as murdering a member of an ally force, it required something more along the lines of banishment to a desert planet or a cruel, painful death, not doing menial tasks right in the Tallest's living quarters. After pressing the button that started to heat up the bath tub, he grabbed the buckets of scented oils and started walking towards her bathroom.

He had grown used to the idea of setting up Tallest Miyuki's bath for the rest of his life, though. No matter how tall he was, there would always be someone Irken taller then him. Even though he liked the idea of working with his current Tallest, she was dying, so the thrown of the empire would be given to someone new.

Red stood in the Tallest's hallway. The large door at the end led to a lobby, which led to her private sleeping chambers. He had only seen glimpses of the inside of her room, and from what he saw, everything was green. If he ever had a bedroom that extravagant, it would be the color red. However, he wasn't too sure he'd even want a room in a ship as rackety as the Colossal. He would make something more compact, smoother… with lasers.

He noticed that the two guards on both sides of her bedroom door were eyeing him subjectively. Red sighed and took his buckets to the bathroom. He pressed the touchpad that made the door slide open and close right after him. After tapping the tub with his exposed claw to test the temperature, he slid his uniform black glove back on and turned the faucet, which dispelled ordinary, unscented cleansing fluids. As the tub filled with it, he tossed the scented oils in. Instantly the room was filled scents of foreign fruits and plants. Red had to admit, even though the scents gave him a pounding headache if he were around them for too long, it was pleasant at first.

He picked up his buckets and was about the press the touchpad to open the door, when it swung open before he made contact. In front of him stood Tallest Miyuki.

"My Tallest!" he said, shocked. "I'm sorry. Did I prepare you bath later that usual today?" He got down on his knee and kneeled before her.

"Perhaps," she said wryly. Red looked up, nervously. If word got out that he was late on the job again, he'd get in trouble with the shorter Irkens. They might take away his job and boiler room and really banish him to some desert planet. This wasn't the first time this has happened. However, when he saw her face, she had a playful grin and winked quickly. "Or maybe I'm just a little early today," she finished. "Come, now, Red. Off your feet, and thank you for heating my bath." She walked passed him regally, and it was them when Red realized there was someone else trailing behind her. "And you remember Purple, of course."

Red and Purple's eyes locked. Red remembered Purple distinctly. He and everybody else in the boiler room make fun of him on a daily basis. He was dubbed the original mama's boy, always following in the shadow of the Tallest. One thing that bugged him was that he was at eye level with him. Red almost never ran into anybody as tall as him, so not having to look down on other Irkens made him a little uneasy. Purple stared at him with the same dislike. It didn't take long for Red to notice that Purple wasn't even looking at his eyes anymore, but instead at the dirt on his face and on his clothes. It wasn't uncommon for rust on the pipes to wipe off on him, but he hated it when people looked at him with so much detest.

"Of course, my Tallest," Red answered, after a moment. "I'll leave you to your bath, then." He got a better hold on his buckets and walked out of the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Purple turned to his master.

"Is there anything else you need, my Tallest?" he asked, holding her bath robes in his arms.

"No, and thank you," Miyuki sighed. Purple turned to the stool next to the bathtub, but found that it was already inhabited by one of Red's buckets. Purple took the filthy thing into his hand between fingers and placed her robes on it. He bowed quickly and left the room, leaving her to her privacy.

As Purple exited the bathroom, he caught of glimpse of Red's outrageously crimson robes as it turned to corner to the hover elevator that would lead him to the boiler room. Not wanting to find him in the depths of the Colossus, he decided to run with Red's bucket in tote to catch up with him before he got on the elevator.

"Red!" Purple shouted as he turned the corner. Red was about to get on the hovering platform, but stopped when he heard his name. Purple saw the obvious disappointment in his eyes when he noticed who it was.

"What do you want, Purple?" he said irritably. "Unlike you, some of us have more to do than kissing Almighty Tallest ass."

Purple's eyes narrowed at the insult, and he flung the bucket at Red, knocking him in the shoulder. "Take your bucket and leave. I'm reporting your foul mouth to Tallest Miyuki, and I would recommend sending somebody else to heat up her baths from now on."

Red rubbed his shoulder, acknowledging the bruise that would most likely form by the end of the evening.

"You've got to be kidding me," he replied. They both eyed each other from the opposite side of the hallway.

"Try me," Purpled answered. Red backed up, never having so much hate for one person that he did now. Maybe if he killed him now, word of his language would never get to his Tallest and then he'd be able to keep his job. He backed up slightly to prepare to lunge, but he never got the chance. A hover elevator landed fiercely in a different tube, occupied by several dozen medics. All of them filed out and ran down hallway, ignoring Purple and Red's presence. Purple panicked at all of the medics that just passed them and had turned the hallway.

"What's going on?" Red asked, taking the words right out of Purple's mouth. One of the last medics turned, with a pained look on her face.

"It's Tallest Miyuki," she said. "Her heart beat and brain functions monitored in her PAK have ceased. She's dead."

To be continued…

yer lurvin' betaL


	2. Grand Escape

Just To answer s ome things that might have come up from reviews, I kinda skipped Sporks reign in this story. No real reason, but I just like miyuki and wanted to skip to Red and Purple's rule… hope yeh don't mind…

CHAPTER TWO: Grand Escape

Purple and Red were kept in Tallest Miyuki's lobby for questioning, since they were the last ones to see her alive. They sat on the opposite side of the room, with the guards standing around, wandering aimlessly. The medics said it was crucial that the news of Tallest Miyuki's death didn't reach out of the realm of those who were in her vicinity at the time of the loss. It was pretty quite in the room.

"I bet it was suicide," Red commented. From what the medics told them, the cause of the death was drowning in her bath. Nobody really seemed to hear him except Purple.

"You're sick, do you know that? Our Tallest was living a nice life in a peacetime society. I bet you put toxins in her bath oils that made her insides deteriorate," he spat.

"Hell, if I did that, wouldn't the medics have noticed?" he asked. "The poison would be in my buckets," he said, pointing to the pile of buckets that were already inspected by the medical crew in the other room, "and something as major as dying from poison doesn't escape them easily."

"Touché. You're not as stupid as you make yourself look," Purple said. This scored a wicked glare from Red and a smirk from Purple in response.

"As soon as we get out of here, I'm going to break your neck and leave you paralyzed so you won't be able to fight back, and after you heal, I'll bash your head in," Red said darkly. This got a few nervous glances from Purple every now and then in his direction. Red was liking the silence. It didn't last long, though, before two medics came into the room and got the attention of the other Irkens.

"We have finalized the information and papers, and a news company will be coming out in minutes to take footage of the scene and tell the rest of the population of the tragic events that happened today," one of them said. She glanced over to her companion, who continued where she left off.

"We would also like to speak to the two young Irkens who were in the bathroom before the incident," she said. "If the rest of you will please recess into the hallway, the other medics will debrief you a bit more clearly on the untimely death of our Tallest."

The guards almost ran to the doors, happy to be out of the cursed lobby. Red and Purple stood up slowly after the room was emptied from the others and just the two medics were left.

"What did you need to talk to us about? Is it about Tallest Miyuki?" Purple asked. Red followed slowly behind him, somewhat less interested.

"Well, it's more about the conditions following our Tallest's death," one of them said. "You see, the news broadcasters knew that out Tallest would die sooner or later, so they made an announcement about the Measuring…"

"What my colleague is trying to say is that all applicable Irkens of reasonable height should sign up for this rare occasion in history. We noticed that the both of you are very, very tall," she said, looking up at them to prove her point. "We would strongly encourage you to sign up. Who knows? One of you might just become the next leader of the empire." Both of them bowed slightly and turned back towards the door.

"You might want to get ready," the other medic said. "The news crew will be here soon, and no doubt they'll want to ask you questions." They left the room, leaving the two boys alone. Purple sighed and rubbed his temples.

"I can't believe this happened. Not to her," he grumbled.

"What were you? Her secret lover?" Red asked. Purple shot him another wicked look.

"Are you kidding? She's… old," he said.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. We all knew it."

Then Purple sighed again. "Maybe you're right."

Red quirked his head, confused. "Wait... You are her lover?" he asked, disgusted.

"No, you idiot! That she was old and had to die!" Purple shouted. After a more quite, there was a knock on the door.

"Hello! This is J-IRK news. We want to have an interview with the young man that was with Tallest Miyuki before she died. The purple one."

Red and Purple instinctively backed away from the door. "I'm just the 'purple one,'" Purple sighed, looking down on the ground. Red looked at the floor, too,not being able to come up with anything intelligent to say. "C'mon," he sighed. Red looked up and saw that he was walking towards the other end of the room, towards Miyuki's bedroom.

"Where are you going? What about the news crew? They want to interview you," Red said.

"You really are dense," Purple grumbled. "There's an emergency elevator in the Tallest's bedchambers. I'm not about to stay and give those news people the time of day." He opened the door and walked across the hard floor. His feet made an echoing sound that drew Red towards the room. He had never been in the Tallest's bedroom before.

"Am… I allowed in here?" he asked.

"The Tallest is dead," Purple said, suddenly withdrawn. "I could care less what you do in here as long as you do us all a favor and shut the doors before you jerk off."

"Hey, I don't want to stay here, and I don't want to go out into the hallway," Red said, catching up to him. "I'm going to ride the elevator with you."

"Since when did I take your demands?" Purple asked.

"Since I told you I was going to break you neck and smash your head in," Red said, clenching his fist so the other could see. By then they had reached to other side of the room. Purple pulled back the curtain to a nearby window and revealed a dark green button. He pressed it, which caused the wall in front of them to turn a quarter around and reveal a new hallway. Red tried to hide his childlike wonder at the site of the secret passage way.

"Has this always been here?" he asked.

"Since Tallest Hessin was apprehended and," he coughed, "taken advantage of by a rouge Irken. The Special Ops force had to put this here to stop it from happening again, if there were another female Tallest in control, or to protect any Tallest if there should be an attack on the Colossus. It leads to the control cockpit of the ship."

"What ship?" Red asked.

"This ship. It leads to the helm of the Colossus."

"You're kidding! We can't be seen there! What if the pilots spot us, they should know we're not supposed to be there."

"Yeah, but we're tall," Purple sighed, walking down the hallway and getting on the hover elevator at the end. "It's cramped in here. Are you coming or not?"

Red got on the elevator next to him, and the platform lifted into the air. Purple wasn't kidding. The platform was rather small, at least smaller than normal hover elevators. He supposed there was only room enough for a Tallest and a guard, but with two tall people in there, it left hardly any room to move. Red and Purple stood shoulder to shoulder.

"What happens after this?" Purple suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"I don't know," Red said. "You tell me." There was a pause when Red found out that Purple really had no idea what was going to happen once they reached the top of the elevator and were at the cockpit for the Colossus.

"Don't worry about it. I don't know about you, but I'll be fine," Red sighed. They felt the elevator slow to crawl until it stopped at the portal for the cockpit. It was filled with more Irkens Red had ever seen in one working place before. Small ones, taller ones… Purple seemed just as amazed as he was. The best part was a breathtaking view of outer space outside the huge windshield. Stars dotted the sky, filled with small galaxies and other worlds. The colors against the black void was a sight none of them would forget soon. A short girl walked by in front of them, almost missing them completely.

"Oh. Hello," she said, looking up at them. "What are you doing coming from that elevator? Isn't that for Tallest Miyuki only?" she asked. As she said this, monitors came floating from the wired ceilings and flashed the J-IRK symbol.

"They're going to talk about the Tallest," Red whispered into Purple's antennae. "We gotta get out of here." Both glanced across the large room. Purple got distracted for a moment by the window that showed the open space in front of him. Sometimes he felt like he lived on a planet than a spaceship, but the windows always proved him false. "Over there!" Red whispered louder, pointing to a door near their left. Most of the other Irkens were distracted by the monitors, and those who weren't were too busy with the work in front of them. The two made their way unnoticed to the door and were able to slip out. Inside, the short girl was watching the screen as it had the one-eyed announcer say that her leader was dead.

"Wow…" she said. "But, if she's dead, who came through the secret elevator?" She quickly dismissed anything she had seen as far as tall Irkens coming through secret hover platforms and went along with her business delivering coordinates to the pilot.

-

So, there you have it. Another brilliant chapter. I'm sorry if I pissed anybody off about Spork… I'll make sure he wont be skipped in my next two Tallest stories, though, so don't worry…

Yer loverly BetaL


	3. Very Tall

Here's the new chapter. I just realized how short these things are… only about three pages each… this can't be very exciting for you…

Ah, well… Who am I to judge?

Enjoy.

CHAPTER THREE: Very Tall

Red and Purple stood outside the cockpit for the Colossus. They were surprised to find that the hallway leading into the room was empty.

"So… Now what?" Purple asked.

"I don't know," Red replied, growing tired of the question. "I'll just go back downstairs and tell them what happened. I guess you'll have to go into hiding or something." Red dusted himself off and walked down the hallway.

"Wait!" Purple called. "You're just leaving?"

Red turned slightly and glanced at him.

"I don't see a reason to stay," and with that, he turned the corner. Purple chased after him, but when he made it around the corner to the hover platforms, he had already took one down. Purple then found himself alone, for the first time in a long time. He couldn't go back to the Tallest's chambers, because the media was all over the place now. He had nowhere else to go but to his own room.

In his room, it was very drab and gray. Although he had worked with the Tallest, he still didn't make much money. The only thing he afforded was his Purple shirt, which he wore every day. Most of his other extra money was spend on law books that he was forced to buy so he could understand to life of a Tallest better in order to work in the quarters of one. He really had no idea what to do now that his leader was gone. The only thing he could do would be to wait for a new Tallest to be chosen, and then he could serve her… or him… Chances would be, if it were a guy, they probably wouldn't want a squeamish little prick like himself around. He sighed heavily and landed on his bed. It was quite, and he was tired. It didn't take him long before he fell asleep.

Red made it back to the boiler room in one piece and untracked. His reception, however, was a little less appreciated.

"RED! Where the Hell were you? You think it's okay to just go off for a half hour and do whatever you want? You're gonna pay big time for this!" he boss, Xloof, hollered. Red squinted and turned around slowly. His boss was one of those people that could either be incredibly caring or an inept ass. It seemed that today he was the latter.

"But… Tallest Miyuki died, and I was kept in a room for questioning since I was at the scene of the death."

"She died in the bathroom, Red. What were you doing peeping at old women, anyway?"

"I was at the scene before she died," Red barked. "It doesn't matter! I'm back, now."

"Great, now you can go."

"What?"

"Did you even watch the news?" he griped. "The Great Measuring starts in about…" he paused to check his watch, "now! You're going."

"What?"

"Red, you're taller than anybody here. You're going to have to face the facts that you are the tallest Irken in the empire. We've signed up for you."

Red looked up and saw the rest of his coworkers in the sweatshop staring and smiling slightly. He looked the other way, slightly, before turning completely around and going back. Somewhere upstairs there was a Measuring ceremony about the start, and he'd receive a penalty if he signed up and didn't participate. He was interested to see how he measured up against the other Irkens, anyways.

The Irken Empire wasted no time, didn't they?

Red made his way to the large convention hall. Someday he'd have to do something about using this blasted ship for everything. Maybe use a planet to hold all of their convention meetings… After having his PAK thoroughly scanned to make sure he was the real 'Red' who signed up for this measuring, he was admitted into a line of about seventy other Irkens. The first round started with just one official, dressed in silver robes, going by and comparing the Irkens as they stood next to each other, denying those who were shorter compared to those standing next to him. Red passed all of these rounds easily, to no real surprise. There was a short break to get the plugs ready for the next examination. There were only about twelve of them left, now. He looked around at the audience.

For events held in the convention center, the seats were held at first-come, first-serve. However, measurings were usually boring, from what Red had experienced when his friend in Special Ops convinced him to go. Knowing this coming in, the seats were as packed as he expected them to be. That is, not very. Most of them were smeets, wanting to see a Measuring Ceremony for the first time, or old Irkens that knew this would probably be their last. Although he was mildly surprised at the amount of students attending. These were more than likely Irkens studying to become one of those really intelligent scholars… Someone like Purple.

His thoughts were interrupted when large plugs fell down from the ceiling behind him. Twelve officials came up from behind them and inserted it into their PAKS. This would take their heights from the information stored in their PAKS, incorruptible information that sometimes comes with measuring with tapes and rulers. After a few seconds, the plugs automatically discharged themselves from the Irken's backs. The officials took the plugs and dragged them backstage out of site.

A flat screen handheld monitor was handed to the head of the Council of Measuring. This Council was usually just made up of random Irkens who knew the process of the ceremony, since Great Measurings only happened once ever few dozen centuries, depending on when the Tallest died or retired from power. The leader of the council, wearing slightly bluer metallic robes, took the monitor and read it quickly. A nonexistent eyebrow quirked faintly.

"I see," he said in a deep voice. He put the monitor by his side and looked to the tall Irkens standing in a row on stage. "May I please see you offstage, please?" he asked them. Most of the Irkens, confused about not being announced right away like before, grumbled angrily. They walked off, anyways, being led by the shorter members of the council. The slightly taller leader of the council brought up the rear. Once all of them were completely offstage, they turned to look at the leader. The glow of the monitor reflect on his pale face. "May I please speak with Irkens number 03-123D-Y401 and 135-V10-L37. If you number wasn't called, please leave to the opposite side of the backstage and follow the other council members to the outside.

The Irkens left slowly, most wondering what was going on. Red sighed and followed them, too, somewhat disappointed. It was no real loss, though. He probably didn't have what it takes anyway. Before he had a chance to follow the council members, the leader spoke loudly.

"Excuse me, we're still missing Irken 03-123D-Y401," he announced. A few glanced back, but most kept walking. "Young male, red eyes, works in a… boiler room?" He turned to the tall Irken standing next to him. "What kind of Irken with this height works in a boiler room?" he asked, chuckling. He saw the face of the Irken cringe, his purple eyes thinning and antennae slumping.

"The idiotic kind."

Red stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that voice. That was the voice of…

"Purple?" Red asked, suddenly turning around and walking up to him.

"Excuse me sir, are you Irken number 03-123—"

"Yeah, yeah! That's me," Red said.

"Then why didn't you answer me when I called your number the first time?" he spat.

"I… I didn't—"

"He probably doesn't even remember his own PAK number," Purple said, coming up next to him. "He just goes by Red. A foolish, single syllable, nomadic name." Both of the tall Irkens glared at each other with harsh looks wishing pain upon each other. The Council leader noticed this and clicked his tongue.

"Right," he said slowly, then standing erect. "Sirs, we have come across a rather perplexing conjunction…"

"Really?"

"…Wait… What?"

"Both," he said loudly to get their attention, "of you, as it appears…" his voice dropped, "are the exact same height." He waited for a moment for the two of them to respond. When he figured that they would just continue to stare blankly at him, he continued. "I hope you realize what this means," he said, nodding until they said yes and nodded their heads along with him. "Good," he sighed. "I'll leave you to discuss this amongst yourselves. For the time being, I would suggest that you keep a low profile, which means not going to work, and preferably not leaving your housing units, either, until notified. The Council of Measuring will break, now that the Measuring is over, but this still hasn't answered the question of who will be the one reigning Tallest."

Red tried to comprehend the information the Council leader was throwing at him. Before he knew it, the Irken was gone and left Purple and himself alone.

"I'm not supposed to go to work?" Red asked.

"No, you're not," Purple sighed, walking towards the exit. He didn't feel like spending any more time with this stupid Irken than he needed to. "Your job is to make heated baths for the Tallest. My job is to bring food to the Tallest. Now that the Tallest is dead, we don't have any reason for work anymore." He opened the door, which led to a surprisingly deserted smaller room. "Dammit!" he shouted. "Where is everybody? How am I supposed to find my room?" He marched out the door and through the room, leaving Red completely by himself. He sighed and walked away in the opposite direction.

I would like to take a moment to think everyone who's reviewed so far. I've never had this large of a response posting my fanfics before. This really means a lot to me. I hope you'll continue reading this and the other stories I have waiting…

Yer lurvin' betaL


	4. Sad Pasts

Sorry about the reasonably long gaps between updates. Been a little caught up doing my own thing...

CHAPTER FOUR: Sad Pasts

Purple finally found his room, about a half hour later. It was amazing, the turn of events that occurred in less than two hours. He collapsed on his bed again, missing how soft if felt earlier with the security of a job. This whole day was running him down to his last nerve. He didn't mean to spat in front of Red. He liked his job in the boiler room. Unlike himself, Red probably had a chance becoming a Tallest. He was belligerent. Even though Purple tried to lead on to have others believe he was aggressive, his attempts were always foiled by his, in most cases, good nature.

He felt his eyes growing heavy the longer he rested on his plush bed. His thoughts followed to the realm of a Tallest. There were so many ways to go about this. He definitely had the brains to get the rank as Tallest, but not the will. He knew the laws, but not the tactics. He never had a job actually fighting before, and Tallests were usually known as hardened soldiers, not intellectuals. In some cases, females were the exception, but for ones like Tallest Miyuki, they fought until their bodies gave out. Purple was finally on the blissful verge of sleep when there was a loud knock on his door. He cracked one eye open and glared at the door. He slunk off the bed and tapped the touchpad. The door slid unlocked and revealed the disturber or his peace. Red.

"What are you doing here?" Purple grumbled, rubbing his eye to accent the point that he was about to fall asleep.

"Hell, you made such a big deal about not being able to find your room I thought I may as well check to make sure you made it here in one piece," he said, inviting himself inside. The room was small, about eight by eight. "Wow, I work in the boiler room and my room is a bigger than this," he commented. He started to look more at the dull gray colors. "And more pleasant," he finished.

"Is there a real reason why you're here?" he asked. "If not, I'm going to bed." He fell promptly back on his bed and curled up the sheets. "Just leave me alone, please, just give me an hour. I'm really tired." Red looked at him at his sudden whine. He looked so vulnerable just lying in bed. Red snapped his head and looked at the various monitor books on a shelf next to his bed.

"You read a lot, don't you?" he said.

"Nothing decent. Those are just law books n' junk," Purple grumbled in response.

"Law?" Red said. "So you know a lot about the rules and stuff?"

Purple shifted in bed and looked up at him. "I would think so."

"So… What exactly are the rules when there are two Irkens the height measured to be Tallest?" he asked. Purple's eyes looked around quickly, trying to think.

"I don't know," he said. "I don't remember an occasion when it ever came up." He leaned across his bed to his shelf and pulled out a rule book about the rules of becoming a Tallest. He turned on the monitor and started reading. After scrolling through the basic laws, it soon skipped to the history of each of the Tallests since the beginning. "That's strange. It doesn't say anything," he said.

"Can't these things do searches or something?" Red asked.

"You've never read a monitor, have you?" Purple asked in reply, looking up. Red didn't answer, but instead returned the look in his eyes. "You can't just search for things like a computer. This thing is similar to analogue."

"Fine, then, has there ever been a time when there were two Tallest in the same situation we're in?" he sighed, aggravated.

"I don't know. I'll look," he sighed, glancing through each Tallest biography starting with Tallest Croose, the creator of the Irken Empire. After a few legacies of nothing, Purple looked up at Red, who was still looking at him. "Why are you asking me this? There's probably a million other smarter Irkens out there you can ask."

"I doubt it," he replied. "C'mon, keep searching." Purple continued reading, the Irken kanji breezing under his claw as he followed his eyes. A few more Tallests passed until he came across something interesting. His eye quirked slightly, which caught Red's looming attention. "What is it?" he asked.

"It… It says here that Tallest Raidel was select Tallest after a close race," he said. He looked up into Red's crimson eyes. "How can there be a close race to become a Tallest. Either you're taller than someone or you're not." He pressed the image of her head and it showed a larger, longer biography.

After a few minutes of scanning, Purple found it. "Here it is! Here it is!" he shouted. "Tallest Raidel was found to be equal height with another Irken, Gunjo. Because of this extremely rare turn of events, Raidel and Gunjo were put in fight to the death to find out who was the stronger Irken. The extremely long fight turned around, when Raidel sexually seduced her male opponent, and killed him… in mid… intercourse…" Purple said, his face turning pale. Red looked above him at the picture of the old Tallest.

"What a bitch," he said.

"Wait a second. There's a link here. I think it's something about our situation." His finger clicked the small button, which led to a page Purple had never seen before. "I found it! It says, 'In the rare occasion that two or more Irkens are found to be the same height in the Great Measuring, the tall Irkens are to be placed in a one week death match, which continues until all but one is left. The conditions of leaving the death match are the other Irkens in question dying or to withdraw. There can be no tie." Purple's voice faded away in the last sentence. He looked up at Red, who had little emotion in his face. "Do you know what this means?" he asked.

"Yeah," Red said. "I'm going to have to kill you." Purple paused, studying his face. He looked serious, and he didn't know Red to be much of a prankster. He didn't say anything else, but instead looked back into his violet eyes.

"You're kidding," Purple said, trying to tell himself that more than anybody else. Red backed away slowly, moving his eye contact to the opposite side of the wall.

"Maybe," he said, pressing the touchpad to open the door. He stepped outside and grinned wickedly. "Maybe not." With that, the door slammed closed. Purple wasn't about to get up and see if he was still there with the malicious grin. He sighed inwardly.

"Great," he muttered, lying on his bed. "Not only is the day out to get me, Red is, too." He never expected to get so close to that strange Irken in all his life. He had caught glimpses of him in the hallway as he was preparing food and guiding the Tallest to the bathroom, but never thought much of him. He was always so… filthy. Running around with dirt on his face and clothes, scratches on his arms, shirt and boots constantly tattered, he seemed like a little demon, even if he was as tall as he was. He turned his attention to the monitor, still left on Tallest Raidel's biography.

The more he read, the more interesting she became. After reading through all the boring information, date of birth, date of inauguration, her height, and the like, he found something somewhat fascinating.

The book read, "Tallest Raidel's reign was cut short, however, when she was found to be having an affair with another Irken, PAK number 89-332FW-09. Although in most cases, affairs made in the Tallest's decision would cause her no harm. However, a few legacies ago, Tallest Xephron, after being sexually assaulted by an Irken of the same gender, made it a law stating that no Irken could be intimately attached to another Irken of the same sex. Tallest Raidel, being shorter that her predecessor, did not have the power to outlaw the rule, was stripped of her title as Almighty Tallest and was forced to stay away from her female lover for the rest of her life."

Purple couldn't help but feel sorry for her, being forced to stay away from the one she loved forever. He didn't think he'd be able to do that. He knew about the rule since he was born. It was one of those things that all Irkens knew, but thinking about it through someone else's eyes made it different. He sighed and placed the monitor back on the shelf, making up his mind.

He didn't want to die.

He was going to stay in his room until the whole Tallest dispute was over. Maybe until Red died or something… That sounded like a good plan.

By day two, Purple realized something quite important about choosing to stay in your room for hours without leaving that he had forgotten. Food. He didn't have enough money to order their normally free food to be delivered to his room. By now he was quite starving, but still scared to leave. There wasn't a window in his door, so he couldn't tell if Red was waiting out there with a knife to slit his throat as soon as he left. Purple rubbed his throat at the thought. Maybe he was just paranoid… It didn't help that the television, which turned on automatically whenever there was an important announcement, kept activating telling him that he was supposed to be on a manhunt for Red.

He really didn't want to kill anybody. He'd be perfectly content if none of them died, but for that to happen, one of them would have to back down. He knew Red wouldn't, and being headstrong himself he knew both of them wouldn't forfeit. However, Purple knew that starving himself wouldn't make him win the thrown, so he swallowed his pride and pressed the touchpad, jumping back slightly to make sure he missed any sort of surprise attack Red had set up for him.

Nothing happened.

In fact, Purple was surprised to find that there a few shorter Irkens sitting by his door.

"Can I help you?" he asked. The four of them stood up quickly and bowed steeply.

"Sir, once we found out that you were in competition for the Tallest, we wanted you to know that we're behind you one hundred percent!" the third in the row, the taller one, said.

"Behind me?" he asked.

"Yes. We're here to help you in your fight against Red. In all respect, we hate him, and we want him dead as much as you do!"

"Want him dead?" Purple spat. "Who said I want him dead?"

"But sir," a different Irken said, "if he is not taken care of, he could kill you instead."

"I doubt it," he breathed to himself.

"If you don't kill him you'll lose!"

"I know that, okay!" he shouted. "How long have you been sitting out here, anyway?"

"About nine hours."

He glanced around quickly. "Has Red come by at all?"

"Only once, the first hour we were here. When he noticed we were guarding your room for you, he left and never came back."

Purple scratched the back of his head submissively. "I don't really think we're allowed to have bodyguards during the death match," he said. "Where is Red now?"

"He's in the Tallest chambers. Ever since you've kept yourself locked in your room, he been taking care of the political duties as Tallest."

"You kidding!" Purple choked, running towards the hover elevators. "What dumb ass put him in charge?" The group of Irkens tried to catch up with him, but by the time they got there, the hover elevator was already gone.

"Oh, dear," the taller one said.

There you have it. I've realized a big grammatical blunder on my part in the summary, which I've fixed... Anyway, review! I like hearing from you guys. It makes be feel all warm and fuzzy inside...

betaL


	5. Cruel People

What's this? Beta posting twice in one week? I guess I was just bored, and this is an insanely short chapter, so read on!

CHAPTER FIVE: Cruel People

Getting passed Red's guards was surprisingly easier that getting passed those creepy Irkens who sat in front of his door. If they were there for nine hours, that probably meant they heard him when he was singing out loud about how cushy his blanket was. Red's guards let him past because they recognized him from his file photo they showed on the news. Purple hated his file photo. It was a snapshot of him eating a burrito that was in the papers when he broke the Irken burrito eating record. His face was covered with beans, and he looked really fat. He was surprised the guards knew who he was by that grotesque photo. Sighing, he walked down the long hallway.

It looked like something entirely different. The walls, instead of being a pale green, were now a bleeding bright red. The floors, the ceilings, even the doors were either red or black.

"I can't believe he did this," Purple muttered to himself.

"Did what?" a loud voice announced behind him. Purple flinched in reflex, but he didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Hello, Red," Purple sighed, facing him. "I was just talking about the sudden change in decoration. It seems a little soon, don't you think?"

"Hey, she's dead now, remember? What's stopping me from making things my color?"

Purple took a brief moment to glance at him. All he was wearing were what looked like bathrobes, but he didn't look like he just came out of the baths.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked.

"Oh, this?" he replied, picking on his bright red robes. "Actually, I was about to have a snack."

"Why don't you just get someone to bring it to you?"

"It ruins the hunt, though," Red commented, slowly leading Purple towards the kitchen.

"Hunt?"

"Yeah. I want to know what's in the kitchen before I eat whatever they give me. I'll just look for what I think will taste good." He opened the doors to the large kitchen, and all the chefs were at a standstill. "Relax," Red said, waving his arms. "At ease, or something… Give us some time alone." All the chefs and servants bowed quickly and rushed out of the room. As soon as they were gone, Purple glared at Red.

"What was that about? I've never seen the chefs so on the edge!"

"I don't know. Maybe it was… nevermind…" he said quickly. "So, Pur, tell me more about you. I heard you were a chef once yourself."

"I was never a chef. I just worked in the kitchen sometimes."

"So you cook?" he asked.

"A few times, yes."

"Are you good?"

"I guess. Why?"

"Make me something. Anything, I'm starving."

"You're hungry?" Purple spat. "I haven't had anything to eat for the past two days!"

"Then the quicker you cook something, the sooner you won't be hungry," Red said smartly. Purple glared at him before turning and opening the large refrigerator. He took out some various dead rodent looking creatures and started chopping them up. After a few minutes, Red took it upon himself to break the silence. "I'm kinda sad you came to see me again."

"Why?" Purple asked, throwing a slab of the rodent meat on a grill. It sizzled loudly.

"It means that you haven't given up the empire yet. I thought that you surrendered to me, but this means I'll actually have to kill you now."

"You'll have to kill me?" Purple asked, taking the meat off and tossing another piece on. "I came back because I wanted to get the empire back to whom it belongs, not because I wanted so see you. If anybody's going to kill in here, It's going to be me." He grabbed the meat and put them on plates, slamming them on the table.

"I doubt that," Red said, ignoring the fork and eating with his claws. After taking a bite, he put the meat down and licked his fingers. "You seem to lack the bite it takes to actually kill anything. You're all bark."

"You think I can't kill anybody?" Purple shouted. "I've killed before! Lots of times! You just weren't there to see it!" It was an obvious lie. Red knew because of the dark green blush on Purple's cheeks.

"Okay," he said, smirking. He walked over to the counter, taking the knife Purple had used to cut the meat, and tossed it at him. "If you're so tough, kill me now!" Purple looked at the sharp blade as Red stood in front of him, wearing only a weak bath robe. It wouldn't be hard to slice through his thin neck and hold his head like a trophy, but he put the knife down.

"No, this is too easy."

"You're right. I had a gun in my pocket. Had you made any advances, I would have shot you." There was another short pause as Purple sat back down and finished eating his food. Red sat down next to him and observed.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that we don't really want to kill each other," he stated. Purple looked up and wiped a piece of meat sliding down his lip.

"Maybe," he said slowly, waiting to see if this was just a ploy to lower his defenses. However, they immediately dropped when Red sighed and stood up again.

"Good," he replied, taking a laser gun out of his robe pocket and placed it on the table. "I don't know why," he said, looking at Purple, "but I just don't want to kill you."

"Same here," Purple mumbled through with the last bite of meat in his mouth. "I personally don't see why both of us can't be Tallest."

"Nah, it's because of that stupid rule. Who came up with it, anyways?"

Purple glanced up and around with thought. "Actually, I don't know. I think that rule's been in the books since the empire began. Nobody really thought that two Irkens could ever be the same Tallest height, so when it happened with Raidel and Gunjo, the Council of Irken's well-being decided it would be easier if there were just one Tallest, and more entertaining to its people if it were made into a death match."

"The whole death match is just a ploy to give more entertainment to the Irkens, you know."

"Exactly! We're the Tallest now! We can change the rules whenever we want!"

"Still, we should keep this on the down low in case someone tries to stop us."

"Who would want to stop us?" Purple asked. "It's a flawless plan. We go onstage and announce that we'll both be Tallest and there's nothing they can do about it! We can kill them! We're in control now."

"It's not that simple!" Red countered. He looked around nervously again. "We've already said too much. Don't go back to your room. Stay here in the Tallest Wing." He got up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Purple asked frantically. "Why can't I go back home? What's going on?"

"I'm going to take my bath," Red said simply. "You can't go back home, because you'll probably get killed when you get there. I'll tell you what's going on soon, but not in the kitchen." He pressed the touchpad to open the door and stepped out. The door slammed shut again, and Purple was left alone. Not more than a second after he left, the doors to a larger, bulk kitchen opened and all the chefs filed out. They absolutely refused to make eye contact with Purple. It didn't take long for him to find out that they have been eavesdropping the entire time. Of course, they were only chefs, and had no real power in the Irken power pyramid.

One thing that still confused him was how serious Red seemed about the whole 'not telling anybody' thing. If he was as smart as he just led himself on to be, then why would he miss something as obvious as the death match being for some sick Irken's entertainment? Purple needed to talk to Red, whether he was taking a bath or not.

See? It was short, wasn't it? R/R, plz.

BetaL

(It has come to my attention that whenever I've been putting breaks or gaps in the story or at the end to represent a shift in the chapter or the end of it, new quickedit system has been deleting it. I'm sorry for any confusion. I suppose they did this to stop people from making those 30 line breaks after the end of their chapters, or those funky emotioncon thingies, so I agree with why it does this, but it's still kinda irritating...)


	6. Rockin' Night

Holy freakin' crap. My last AN spun a little out of control... I got in a fight with my gent and work was a regular tragedy, so I was a little short tempered. I'm sorry if I pissed anybody off. I am an Invader Zim fan, but I'm very lazy and don't spend much time at fansites (most, I've discovered, never update or are filled with dimwitted drones, the latter I wish not to be associated with.) Blah. Basically, I watch the DVDs religiously, so if it wasn't mentioned in the series, I didn't mention it in the story. And, like I hope you assume, this is a story, so I am taking some rights as far as characters go to make this interesting. Just because it doesn't follow the basic storylines shouldn't be a cause for an uproar. I stated it very clearly in the summary that this is a Red and Purple love story. If you feel uncomfortable with gay characters or are homophobic, then perhaps you should be spending less time reviewing my story with insults making me feel worse about myself than I already do. Take your comments elsewhere and please limit any criticism to something a little more... constructive. Thank you, and I hope everyone understands...

CHAPTER SIX: Rockin' Night

Purple stood tentatively in front of the bath door. He couldn't hear the oils splattering in the tub. He waited a moment and pressed the touchpad. He snuck in quickly, and door slammed with a loud bang.

"You're really bad at sneaking," Red said, already in the tub. "I could tell you were outside even without looking. You breathe way too loud."

"Really," Purple coughed, scratching the back of his head and trying to look in the most complete opposite direction of Red physically possible.

"Why are you here? It's easier to sneak a peek when I'm taking a shower and the oil's too loud for me to hear."

"What?" Purple spat, turning around and glaring at him. He could only see Red from chest up, but he didn't like the obnoxious smirk playing on his face.

"There, at least we're making eye contact," he said, satisfied. "So, why are you here?"

Purple paused for a moment, pulling up a stool and sitting down. "I really wanted to know what you were talking about back in the kitchen. Is here safe?"

"Yeah," Red sighed. "May not be the most convenient, but it's safe. It's soundproof, but you can still hear when someone's outside."

"Okay," Purple replied, shooting a suggested look at the door. "Well, I was just wondering why you were being so paranoid." Red didn't answer right away. This made Purple feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I learned a lot in the past four days," Red finally responded with a sigh, taking a bath toy between his claws and squeaking it. "You see, there's a lot of things that only a Tallest knows. I know the killing is just for entertainment. It's like that old saying goes, 'It's only funny until someone gets hurt, then it's hilarious.' The thing is, it rings true for everybody. No matter who it is, seeing someone hurt makes others laugh. Our society of choosing our leader isn't based on anything diplomatic, it's all for fun and show. Anyway, it's more like a Council thingy. They only want one Tallest. As soon as I'm taken in as Tallest, I'll be taken under the Council's wing, and they pretty much tell me what to do from now on."

"Is that all? Why were you making such a big deal about it in the kitchen?"

"Think, Pur. Have you ever heard of a Council?" Red confirmed bluntly. Purple looked around in thought as he normally did.

"Like, the Great Measuring Council?" he asked.

"No," Red tisked. "This is just a Council. They control everything. When was the last time you ever heard of anybody trying to control what a Tallest did?" Purple thought again. His eyes narrowed.

"Never." He rubbed his temples softly and looked up at Red. "I haven't. I can't believe this. Wait… That means that Miyuki was just a mouthpiece for some stupid Council the whole time? What exactly does this Council do? Who are they?"

"Like I said, they just tell the Tallest what to do. They make the informed decisions and stuff like that. However, there have been cases…" he paused for a moment.

"Cases? What cases?"

"Well… The Council doesn't like to be ignored. Sometimes when a rebel Tallest goes against what they say, they either erase the Tallest's memory and start fresh, or if the damage is too much, they kill him."

"You're kidding."

"No! Why to you think there are so many estranged deaths amongst Tallests? Do you really think Miyuki died by drowning? The Council killed her because she was going against their system!"

"That's insane! Miyuki was murdered? Aren't you just a little bit intimidated by this Council taking over?"

"Intimidated? I'm not intimidated easily," he answered, shaking his head. "I'm not too worried about it. They make all the decisions! Being a Tallest will be just like a free ride!"

"God! The Council's not insane, you are for believing in them! Where is this Council! I'm gonna kill them!" Purple stood up and started walking towards the door.

"Stop! There's over a hundred members! You'd get eaten alive!" Red shouted.

"Fine, then," Purple spat. "What do you suppose we do?"

"I say, you just forget you were ever a height worthy of Tallest. Forget about your old life and start over. Leave me to handle this."

Purple was silent, staring off into space. After a moment, he turned to Red. "I know what this is," he said slowly, full of hatred. "You're just trying to stop me from being Tallest! You made up this whole Council thing just to scare me! I have other plans, Red! Just wait! I'm going to make sure that I'll be the Tallest, not you!" Purple pounded his fist on the touchpad and the door slid open and shut behind him. Red sat in the bath, annoyed.

"Your funeral," he sighed.

Purple stormed down the long hallway of the Tallest Wing. The ride down the hover elevator seemed like the longest ever. Purple couldn't believe that Red took all this effort just to deceive him. He supposed that the efforts were miniscule for the overall prize both of them wanted. The elevator slowed and stopped on his floor. Purple stepped off quickly and down the corridor. Some of the Irkens roaming around stopped and stared at him. He gulped under the unwanted attention and continued to his room. He was surprised to see a few stop and bow, wiggling their antenna. One, he noticed being one of the shorter Irkens sitting outside his door earlier today, ran away to a room and dragged out the taller one. Purple opened the door to his room.

It was exactly the way he left it, except for a small eyesore on his bed. It was a book, not his, and looked like some sort of romantic smut instead of a decent biography. Purple picked it up and inspected the cover. The name of the writer sounded familiar. He walked over to his bookcase and pulled out the biography of the Tallests. It was by the same Irken. "I don't believe it," Purple said to himself. "There must be some kind of mistake." He reached over to open the book.

"STOP!" an Irken shouted. Purple dropped the book in shock and looked. It was the taller Irken that was sitting in front of his room. "Get out of there! Now!" The book landed on the ground and opened with a quick snap. The Irken ran in, grabbed Purple's hand, and pushed him out. The rest was a blur. Purple heard a loud crash and a stinging burn on his back.

"What's going on?" he asked. He turned around and saw his room in ruins. Burnt embers were landing on his face and singeing his skin. The hallway was empty from the initial blast, but now some faces were becoming brave enough to poke their heads out. "What's going on?" Purple asked again, louder. The spigots from the ceiling jerked down and released a cool fog that tamed the fire. The shorter Irken who alerted the taller one walked up.

"We noticed some people in your room earlier today. They didn't notice we were watching. After they left, the door was locked and we couldn't get in."

"If you couldn't, how could I?"

"I don't know," the short Irken replied nervously. He looked up at Purple and continued. "That book was a bomb, my Tallest. Somebody bugged your room to make sure that you would die."

"You're kidding," Purple whispered. While he thought for a moment, the short Irken walked into his room, now completely chilled from the fire and hazed with fog. The Irken gasped and covered his mouth.

"What?" Purple asked, turning around.

"He's everywhere! Splattered!" the Irken shrieked, running out of the room.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"My friend! The one who saved you! He's dead!"

Purple paled at the news. An Irken was dead. Died saving him. His eyes hallowed and he looked on the floor. His book of the Tallest biographies was lying on the ground. He picked it up and dusted off the cover. More Irkens were beginning to file out and ask what had happened. Purple told them to go back to their rooms since they were all witnesses, and no doubt somebody would want to ask them questions. "Especially you," he said to the shorter Irken. "I can't thank you enough for what you and your friend did you me today."

"Are you going to stay, my Tallest?" he asked.

"No, I can't. I have some things I got to do."

"Are you going to get even with Tallest Red, now?"

"No, Red wasn't the one that did this, but I know who is." Purple got a hardened look on his face and marched back to the hover elevators. The ride seemed somewhat shorter this time. The march down the Tallest Wing breezed by. Purple stood in front of the door to Red's sleeping quarters and almost touched the pad when he heard another door opening behind him. Red was stepping out of the bathroom with his bath robes.

"It takes you that long to take a bath?" Purple grunted. Red didn't bother looking up, but instead stretched.

"Most cases, yeah," he sighed. "What brings you here?"

"My room exploded."

"What?" Red asked, alarmed. He looked at Purple and rushed up to him, forcing him to turn around. "You're hurt," he said, looking at the small burns on his back.

"Yeah, and I'm the lucky one. The Irken who saved me died."

"I told you not to go into that room," Red commented.

"It doesn't matter, Red!" Purple snapped. "An Irken is dead and I am injured because of it. You said the…" he paused and looked around. He tilted his head and motioned into Red's bedroom. "Is it safe?" he asked.

"There? Yeah." He opened the room and both stepped in. They walked through the lobby and into Red's bedroom.

"Good. Now, you said that the Council was behind all this! Are we going to something about it or aren't we!" Purple shouted.

"I already told you, there's nothing we can do! There's too many of them!"

"You said there was only a couple hundred of them, right?"

"Not that many. No more than one-fifty," Red shrugged.

"There? See? There's not even that many!"

"What do you mean? Unless you feel like taking on a hoard of trained soldiers, go ahead. I don't want any part of it. If we fail, I won't be Tallest anymore!"

"Dammit, Red, you're not even Tallest now! Besides, we'll be making a statement, and we won't have to do it alone. My fan club can probably scratch up at least a hundred back-ups. Your friends in the boiler room should be able to come up a few each."

"Are you suggesting we start a rebel army?" Red asked. "And what's this about a fan club? What are you, twelve?"

"It's just a couple of Irkens that sat outside my room. And yes, we should start an army! I really don't see why not. The Council tried to kill me, Red!"

"I know! I heard you! But do you know how much time this is going to take? And at the same time I supposed to be killing you!"

"I thought there wasn't going to be any killing. We were going to tie!"

"I'm sorry," Red sighed, turning around quickly. "It's not going to work out that way. Either you forfeit, or you die."

"You… You traitor!" Purple spat. "I thought we were a team!"

"We were never a team! I just told you that the council existed and that I didn't want to kill you! Just because I have a soft spot doesn't mean I'm not still determined." Red looked back and faced him. "If you keep acting up like this, Pur," Red seethed, getting dangerously close to his face, "you might end up like your little fan club member." He marched to the opposite side of the room and into a walk-in closet. Purple could hear the shuffling of garments as Red changed clothes. "I want you out of my room now," he demanded. "I don't care if you can't go back home. Just find somewhere to sleep." He waited a few moments after he was done changing before he opened the door. Purple still stood next to his bed with the same disgruntled face. "I figured you wouldn't leave," he sighed, stepping out of closet.

Purpled eyed him quickly of his clothing of choice. A tight black shirt and the same, filthy slacks he wore as a boiler room worker.

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

"This?" Red replied, looking down on himself. "Just something comfortable. I'm going out." There was a short pause as Red walked by Purple and to the door.

"Going out? You can't just go out when you have an entire empire to run!"

"Since you're still alive, I can. It's like you said, I'm not a Tallest. I can still do whatever I want when I want to."

"You're taking this the wrong way! Where are you going, anyway?" Purple snapped back.

"Just this little place where me and my buddies liked to hang out down on the South Wing."

"South Wing? You're not talking about that raunchy club, are you? You're a Tallest! You can't be seen there!"

"You said it earlier. I'm not a Tallest yet." He turned and looked at Purple. "Listen, I'm sorry about what I said. You can come, too, if you want." Red left his door open as he walked through the lobby. Purple still stood in the middle of his room, pouting defiantly.

"Fine!" he shouted, running after him. "But if this is just a scandalous attempt to kill me, it won't work."

"Relax. I just want to let loose. Maybe have a few drinks. There's some people I need to talk to," he said leisurely. "There's a dance floor there. Maybe you can cut a rug or whatever it wound up Irkens like yourself do for fun."

"I don't dance," Purple murmured as they got on the hover elevators. Red just chuckled.

All continued in the next chapter... BetaL  
"The One that Squeaks"  
(PS- I wanna know what the cool thing is on the Incredibles DVD! I promise I'll be your best friend! Oh! Oh! If you get the Dodgeball DVD and press the enter button on your remote whenever White snaps, you'll get a special bonus clip! They have the one of Justin getting hit with dodgeballs over and over again! And they also have a super spiffy commentary with just the director. He pretty much says the same stuff as he did in the commentary with some of the other cast (I haven't watched this in a while...) Ah, well... I guess I'm just a sucker for a good commentary! Although I did fall asleep during the animator's commentary of the Incredibles. Animation sounds like fun, but the animators seem really boring...)


	7. Lovely Kiss

Wow... I can see spring break has been a little kind to me. After reading some reviews it's occured to me that you don't know my life story yet. So, here we go...My name is Lennon. I live in an apartment with my boyfriend, Jayce (thanks for standing up for me, love, 'though I think you got a little mixed up in where in the insults were tossed...) Yes, I am gay. Yes, I do like Tallest yaoi. I think that about wraps it up in that department.  
Ready for some plot developement? That's what I like to hear!

CHAPTER SEVEN: Lovely … Kiss?

The hover elevator shook violently the closer they got to the South Wing. The South Wing was known for being a black market dream, drugs and stolen goods being passed around like a stomach virus. It intimidated Purple that Red actually came here,possibly on a regular basis, and seemed so comfortable about it. He knew that a Tallest's background didn't affect whether they were inaugurated or not, but that didn't stop him from wondering what would happen to the empire if Red did actually win the thrown. He glanced at Red as the lights flickered with each booming bass beat. Just as he expected, he was as composed as ever. His head was held high and his antennas were swooped back coolly. The wavering lights of the elevator seemed to have an effect on his eyes, making them look like they were glowing. Purple sighed, wondering why he couldn't be as calm as Red always looked. He didn't have much time to think, however.

As soon as the door opened, Purple collided against the back wall from being hit. He looked down to see what had tackled him, and was horrified to find a group of three Irkens groping and smothering each other with their tongues on his feet.

"Eww!" Purple wept over their moaning, trying to jump over them. Red just stared, laughed, and walked out of the elevator followed closely by Purple. "What was that?" he whispered loudly.

"I dunno who the guys were. The girl was Tlink. She's wild, trust me. Not your type."

"I don't want a type!" Purple whined. Most of the Irkens in the hallway looked wasted or were showing much more than the legal amount of public displays of affection. "I don't like it here," he whispered to Red.

"They didn't build it so you could like it," Red grumbled.

"Well," Purple sighed, looking around at the dank walls, "I should like it…" Red rolled his eyes and walked up to an open door. There was a reasonably long line to get in, but he just cut through. "Are we allowed to do this?" Purple asked, looking at all the Irkens in line.

"We can do whatever we want. We're the tallest Irkens in the empire!" he boasted loudly. Purple glanced around nervously. Red's outburst caused some questionable Irkens to look their way. Purple gulped and looked at this place Red took him to. The walls were painted black, save for the dark maroon that was around the bar. The dance floor was actually an overly large plastic mat taped to the ground. Bright lights flashed all over the place, making Purple dizzy and lightheaded. After taking a look, he noticed Red wasn't next to him anymore.

"Red!" he shouted, turning but not finding him. Finally, he saw him at the bar ordering a drink. Purple ran up to him and sat down. "Don't run away like that."

"I didn't run. I walked away slowly." The bartender returned with a drink. It was a bright, clear crimson with some kind of wild fruit in it.

"What kind of drink is that?"

"It's called Red Tide. A drink I made up."

"You mix drinks?"

"I _mixed_ drinks," Red reiterated. "A part time job to get a little extra cash." He took a sip and squeezed his eyes shut. "Why don't you have a drink?"

"I don't know," Purple said, looking at Red's face. "These drinks look a little powerful."

"Nah, not all of them." He tagged down the bartender and ordered a drink for Purple. She returned with a small, pink slushy liquid with a little umbrella in it.

"What's this one called?" Purple asked, picking up the cup and getting a better look at it.

"Décès," Red commented, taking another sip of his own.

"That sounds nice," he replied naively. He took a taste and his mouth exploded. It was like nothing he ever tasted before. Sweet, bitter, sugary, tart… It was like a party in his mouth. He felt warm and fuzzy all over. It felt great! He took another long sip and gasped as he slammed the empty cup on the counter. The drink started to take effect and soon Purple didn't feel anything at all. "This is awesome!" he said, flailing his arms in the air and spinning in the swizzle chair.

"That's good," Red grumbled, still gripping his head.

"What's wrong?" Purple asked, leaning on him and wrapping his arm around Red's neck. Red grimaced and turned, centimeters away from his face.

"Nothing. I just haven't had a drink in a while… This might be a little too strong for me…"

"This one's great!" Purple slurred, shoving his empty glass in his face, hitting Red's forehead.

"Hey, watch it," Red muttered. The music stopped, and simultaneously all the other Irkens on the dance floor stopped dancing, too, as if the magic spell of the speakers had suddenly ended. A new beat started, which rejuvenated the dancers and the floor started shaking again.

"Huh?" Purple gasped. "I love this song!" he shouted in Red's antenna.

"Geez, Pur, you're diseased. You only drank half a glass of the weakest drink here."

"Well, I still like it," he said, not really comprehending anything Red was saying. "This is fun! I don't think I've ever had this much fun before!"

"At least someone's having a good time," Red sighed, looking around. "I don't see any of the guys here."

"You don't? Great!" Purple said quickly. He grabbed Red's upper arm and forced him on the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" Red shouted.

"I love this song!" Purple repeated and he started doing some awkward flapping movement with his arms.

"That's not even dancing," Red commented, laughing slightly.

"How are you supposed to dance?" Purple asked, not even in Red's direction. He was distracted by the giant machines over him spewing fog.

"First," Red began, grabbing Purple's head and forcing him to look him in the eye, "look at me. Now, which one would you like to learn? Dancing with a girl? With a group?"

"How do you do it?" he asked. Red thought for a moment.

"It's been a while," he murmured. Usually when he danced with a girl it involved some questionable hip movement. The image of Purple taking the place of Red's dance partner brought a small green blush to his cheeks. "Maybe we should wait a bit before…" Red eyes drifted across the crowd and he noticed his old boss walking in and shaking hands with some old friends. Red smiled slightly. "Perfect." He took Purple's shoulders and forced him to make eye contact again. "I'm going to talk to some people and then we can go, okay? Don't move from this spot." He left Purple behind and plowed through the crowd. Purple shrugged and continued his flapping movement.

"Ah, Xloof!" Red called. The stout, slightly overweight Irken looked up and waved.

"Red!" he replied, walking up to him. "Strange seeing you here. Don't they have any classier joints fit for a Tallest?"

"None that sell the Red Tide," Red commented, winking.

"You're a sick bastard," Xloof chuckled. The name behind Red's drink was a secret held only between the two of them. When Red was in the special ops business, he did a little secret slaughtering business when an ally got a little too power hungry. "So, what brings you here? I know you're not patient enough to travel halfway across the ship just for a drink."

"I need a favor."

"Again? I thought these would stop now that you're rich and powerful. Do you need help moving again?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. See, I have this friend-"

"You want me to hook him up with someone?" he asked, looking past Red to Purple, standing heads above most of the other Irkens making an ass out of himself.

"Well, that's the friend, but that's not what I want. I need you to get a group of people together."

"Like what? A social gathering, or something a little more complex?"

"Hideously complex," Red muttered, looking around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "Get some people together, actually, a lot. Get friends of friends of friends together, I don't care. They've just got to be loyal to the Tallests."

"Is a war starting? Why don't the Special Ops or Invaders do something about this?"

"No. This is an inside job. I need people I can depend on."

"You can always depend on me, Red."

"Good. Now go. Start as soon as possible. This battle's going down soon."

"Alright," Xloof grumbled, not wanting to leave so soon. "Fill me on the details later on, okay?"

"You know I will," Red sighed. He gasped and coughed when a sudden large weight was added on to his back.

"Let's GO! I'm bored!" Purple announced, trying to catch a ride of Red's back by hitching his legs around his stomach. "I feel sick, too. I think I'm going to BARF!" Red cringed and turned to his ex-boss.

"I'll be getting this guy home."

"Getting him home? Why haven't you killed him yet?"

"It's not like that, okay?" Red said. "Anyway, I'm leaving, now. I'll contact you." Red carried Purple out the door and down the hallway.

"Who was that guy?" Purple asked, trying to look over Red's head into his eyes. He got distracted by two Irken's making out on the wall. "Get a room!" he shouted. Red breathed heavily and continued carrying Purple to the hover elevators, where thankfully Tlink had taken her noisy threesome elsewhere.

"Just an old friend I hadn't seen in a while," Red lied. He placed Purple on the floor and pressed the button for the level he wanted. Purple tried to stand, but kept falling over and hitting the wall. He found a decent resting spot in the corner and decided to take his distracted gaze upon Red's face, which was currently watching the numbers pass buy on the screen.

"You're eyes glow," Purple stated. Red turned and looked at him, then started glancing around, trying to look at anything but Purple.

"They do?"

"But I think it's the lighting." Purple paused to hiccup and then continued. "Although I can see them reflecting on the walls. Is that normal?"

"I think it might be side affect of the liquor," Red said dully, returning his eyes to the monitor as it ticked up the number of floors they passed.

"No, no!" Purple assured. "I noticed it before when we were going down. It's really pretty."

"That's nice to know," he commented sarcastically. Purple, feeling like he could walk better now, got up and started to walk towards him. The elevator shook, however, causing him to lose his footing. He stumbled against the wall and pushed away, making him to land on Red's back. "What the hell are you doing?" Red spat, turning under Purple and gripping his shoulders. "You're too drunk to walk. Stay in your corner!" Before he had a chance to guide Purple somewhere safe, he felt something soft touch his face.

His lips, to be exact. A kiss?

Purple had leaned in, despite Red, pushing him away. Red's eyes flashed open, trying to get a clear view of Purple. His eyes were shut, and face devoid of any expression. Red softly moved him away from his face, and held him limply in his arms. Purple had passed out, nothing more. Red grumbled, praying that there wasn't a security camera in the elevator, or worst, a security guard working on the other end of that security camera.

It was an awkward way to fall, though. Red hoisted him up so that Purple's arm went around his neck and he was in a comfortable dragging position. He couldn't stop thinking about what just happened. The elevator door opened to the Tallest Wing and Red marched out quietly. He was able to get Purple to the other side of the hall and into his room without anyone seeing him.

"You're heavier than you look," he growled to the unconscious Irken. He sighed and continued to drag him through the lobby and into his bedroom. As soon as he got in, he placed him on the bed. Red paced around his room, not taking his eyes off of Purple. "What am I gonna do with you?" he muttered to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when a loud beeping came echoing in from all corners. A floating screen glided towards him with the message 'FRONT DOOR' flashing on the monitor. Red grabbed the screen and moved so that Purple wasn't in the background. He pressed the button that made the camera feed start shooting from outside his door. It was maid.

"Oh! H- Hello, sir." She bowed quickly and looked back at the camera. "It's room service. Would you like me to turn your bed and clean?"

"No!" Red shouted, disgruntled. He quickly regained his composure and coughed quickly. "I don't need any room service for the rest or the day," he said, then he glanced back at Purple in his bed, "or the week, for that manner. As a matter of fact, my whole living quarters is off limits. Anybody who comes in will be banished to… I don't know, but it'll be bad!"

"Oh, sir… Okay, I'll tell everyone. I'm sorry to disturb you." She bowed again quickly and the transmission was cut. Red sighed and collapsed on the couch. It was horribly uncomfortable and too short for him to lie down all the way. He decided to stay on the couch anyways, letting his legs dangle off the edge. The last thought he had before he finally went to sleep was how his lips tasted like Décès.

to be continued...

and for those of you who want to know, décès is French for death... I thought it was funny...

betaL


	8. Horrible Morning After

**Answering Questions...  
**The One That Squeaks: I think mort is the masculine of death in French. Deces is the feminine. I just used Deces because I thought it looked a little less like it would have meant death. (I took some Latin in college, so when I think of death, I think of mort. If I walked in a bar and ordered a drink called Deces, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Of course, I don't know a lick of French, so if I had taken French instead of Latin, I'd be a little suspicious of what this drink would had in store later...) As for Tlink, she has a minor role in a story I'm thinking of, but other than that she doesn't have any appearences past chapter seven.  
Alright, enough answering. Let's get back to the story...

CHAPTER EIGHT: Horrible Morning After

The first thing Purple could remember in the morning was how horrible his mouth tasted. It was like he vomited in his mouth and then swallowed it up. He cracked open his eyes slowly. The first thing he saw was red. Red sheets, red walls, red ceilings…

"I must be in Hell," he mumbled. He caught his head at the sound of his words. For some reason, he had a pounding headache. He thought, slowly so he wouldn't provoke it, of what caused this. The last thing he remembered was going down an elevator with Red… going into some hideous nightclub… drinking something… Purple gasped and he covered his mouth. "I got drunk!" he whispered loudly. A loud grunt came from the opposite side of the room. Purple crawled in the bed and saw Red asleep on the couch. He was snoring slightly and had a trickle of drool beginning to trail down his cheek. Purple sat up and stretched, licking his lips. He paused.

What was this wonderful taste on his lips? He remembered some of it being from the drink that he had last night, but there was something more. He hoped that it wasn't some of the dried vomit from his small puke that happened sometime when he was passed out. He was just thankful that Red placed him on his side. Purple laid back down and sighed. The Tallest bed was extremely comfortable, much more than his old bed, but that was come to expected. He still couldn't get this taste off his mind. It couldn't be Décès, could it?

His curiosity got the best of him, and he walked out of the room quietly and into the kitchen. It was time to do a little experimenting…

Red stayed asleep on the couch. After a few minutes of Purple's absence he started groaning and turned to his sighed. A strange vision appeared in his head. It was blurry, but from what he could make out, everything was white. He could see small figures rocking back and forth on the supposed ground. It zoomed in to himself and someone else making out. Then is zoomed in to Purple's face, his body under Red's, smiling happily as Red nipped as his neck and licked his chest down to his stomach down to his-

Then Red woke up, sweaty.

"What the hell," he spat, wiping off his forehead. He laid back in bed and panted slightly. That dream took a lot out of him, not to mention confusing. He could understand seeing some skank like Tlink or someone else, but Purple? He grumbled and stood up, realizing he'd have to change his clothes now. Purple wasn't in his bed, thank goodness. Red wasn't sure he'd be up to handling him today. He must have gone home or to a friend. He stepped into his closet and closed the screen. He decided to choose something simple, a house robe. He had a headache and probably wouldn't be going out. He grunted again, wiping the images from his head, and opened the screen.

There he came face to face with Purple's fist. Red rebounded and stepped back into the rack of clothes, noticing a cup in his hands. "What are you still doing here?" he asked, then he looked at the cup, "And what's in there?"

"I only left about ten minutes ago," he said. "This is a Décès. Try it."

"Try it? How did you make it? You don't know how to mix drinks."

"It's not rocket science. You get the crap together and stir it. I mixed drinks for Tallest Miyuki and the guests she had. Now drink."

Red cautiously took the cup and looked at the pink slushy liquid inside. He sipped it slightly and took the cup away. Its taste reminded him of Purple. "It's perfect," he said.

"Really?" he replied, taking the cup back and taking a medium swig. "I thought it was missing a little something, but I didn't really want to throw up inside the blender." He handed the cup back to a slightly confused Red. "Anyway, I'm going back to the kitchen. I got some snacks in the oven."

"Snacks?"

"Yeah, you know, little thingies of food that you eat?"

"I know what snacks are," Red snapped. He found himself following Purple as he made his way down the lobby and through the hallway. "But why are you making them?"

"I like snacks. They're perfect to eat even if you're not hungry, and if you eat enough of them, you're not hungry at all."

"Ahuh," Red muttered, stepping into the kitchen while Purple opened the stove. He took out a sheet with chocolate blobs on it. "What are those?" he asked.

"I really don't know," Purple said, looking at them. He inspected them by poking one with his claw. The chocolate glob exploded and released a russet syrup all over his hand. "I guess it's easier to buy snacks rather than making them." He licked his claw off and glanced at Red. "I don't know about the drink, though. There was something a little off in the taste. It wasn't like I remembered it in the morning."

Red was distracted. Purple was licking chocolate off his claws, staring at him as if it were nothing. His mind kept tracing back to his dream, where Purple was laying under him, panting and moaning, arching his back… He shook his head quickly and tried to listen to what Purple was saying.

"Uh… Drink this morning? What?"

"I could taste what was left of the drink this morning on my lips. I wanted to try to make a new drink to taste like it, but it didn't work. If this Décès tastes just like it's supposed to, then I guess I'll never be able to mimic what I tasted."

"Right, right… Sorry about that," Red mumbled, scratching the back of his neck and trying to look in any direction but Purple. There was a short, awkward silence as he continued to stare at the wall. Purple coughed slightly and looked away, too.

"So," Purple started, trying to make conversation as he placed the tray on the counter, "what exactly happened last night? I don't really remember getting drunk. It just kinda happened? Is that normal?"

"For a Décès? Yeah. It's sort of like a silent killer. It tastes like a normal drink but the real bite gets you after a few sips."

"Oh… So, what happened?"

"What do you mean?" Red asked, finally looking at him in the eye. Purple walked closer to him.

"I mean, the last thing I remember was drinking in the bar, and then I woke up in your bed. What happened?"

"Nothing. I noticed you were getting a little tipsy so I brought you back to my place."

"But you said you had someone to talk to. Who was it?" Purple asked, edging slowly closer.

"Nobody, alright? Who said I had to tell you everything? It was just a friend!" Red shouted. Purple paused and nodded slightly in understanding. His antennae drooped a little, disappointed.

"I see," he commented, turning back to the counter. He took a gulp of the Décès and continued to mix ingredients together for some other type of snack. Red walked up behind him, reaching out his arm to touch his shoulder, but found that he couldn't. He withdrew and started towards the door. Purple heard it open and close. He sighed and stopped mixing.

Red stood outside the door, breathing deeply. How long was this going to go on? He knew he couldn't very well continue with his job as Tallest with Purple hanging around giving him 'happy dreams.' He scowled and looked around. There was really nothing to do in the morning. Clubs were closed, the kitchen was off limits with _him _in there, and he was too awake to go back to sleep.

"Ah, sir, I'm glad I found you."

Red turned and looked down, seeing a smaller Irken carrying a monitor clip board. He glanced up at him and then returned his gaze to the board, a pale blue glow reflecting on his equally pale face. "What do you want?" Red asked, recognizing him as the Irken constantly following him around telling him things that needed to be done.

"I left some papers on your bedside table that need a good, thorough read-through before your meeting with Ciles and Euridane from planet Gemae this afternoon. After that, you have another meeting with the leaders of the Invaders and Working Class part D, of the North-West."

"You went into my room?" Red asked slowly, dripping with anger. "Didn't I tell the maid that nobody is allowed in my room?"

"Oh," the Irken replied slowly. "Well, you could have told the maid that, and she didn't tell me… I'm really sorry, sir." He bowed quickly and looked back up at Red, whose composition didn't seem to be getting any better. "I'll be sure to tell the rest of the staff, my Tallest. Is there anything else you want?"

Red paused and spoke. "Yes. I want Purple to make all my meals from now on."

"Tallest Purple?" the Irken asked, looking to the kitchen door. "Are you sure you want that. I mean, he's supposed to be killing you, and… Speaking of, why is he here? If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't you be trying to defeat each other?"

"Never mind that," Red sighed. "Dismissed." The Irken bowed again, looking up to see Red nodding in annoyed approval as he marched off to his room.

...to be continued...

BetaL


	9. So Close

Hello, all. I'm back. And confused. I really don't know what you people want from me. I'm writing this story for myself, so any criticism you give me beyone basic grammer and spelling errors I'm not going to listen to (any author who would change their work because of criticism is no real author). I get complaints about how people hate RAPR and they wish I would die (I thought the internet would've been a good place to find acceptance. Instead I hear the same old straight-winged jargon I get everyday in the real world) and then I get comments about how my story sucks because Red isn't horny enough. I write the characters the way I saw them in the series. I don't see Red as a buff, gent-humping commando mass murderer, and I don't see Purple as a delecate, lady-like flower crybaby. They're just ordinary gents like me and Jayce.  
In this chapter, Red is a little muddy-minded, but this is as far as it'll ever get for this love story. If you're looking for some hard-core Irken sex monsters, you've come to the wrong place...

CHAPTER TEN: So Close

Red came out of his room with a bath robe. He was going to take out his anxieties with a bubble bath. He walked to the bathroom door, and pressed the code on the keypad that made others who wanted to enter to have a password. Nobody was going to disturb this for him. Across the hall, he heard a loud clanging noise coming from the kitchen. Purple must have been coming up with something wild to eat, now. Red wasn't so sure if his assumption was wise about letting Purple cook. After the chocolate glop explosion he witnessed, it seemed like Purple wasn't a very good chef at all. It was hard to believe that he ever actually worked with Miyuki, as far as cooking went. He sighed and stepped into the bathroom.

It smelt like an exotic garden. The guys downstairs must have put something good into the oil mix. He noticed a folded note by the tub. He snatched it and read the Irken text quickly.

'I got some people to help out. Call me anytime. -X-'

A positive message from Xloof. At least a little part of a resistance had begun. He dunked the note in the oil, making it dissolve slowly. Nobody could see it. After he was sure the note was completely gone, and slipped out of his robes and into the warm tub. It felt nice actually being in the tub that he spent so many years filling up in the boiler room. It took himself a minute to get used to the different temperature, but it was well worth it. He sighed and loosened his muscles. Relaxing was good, especially with Purple running about giving him weird thoughts. Perhaps resting would get rid of them. However, now that he finally had some quite time to himself, those thoughts seemed to be coming more and more often. He couldn't get the image of the look on his face out, either.

He was always taught that the best way to get something out of your head was to do it. If you had an urge to fly to a resort planet, do it. If you have a song stuck in your head, listen to it. If you have a sudden urge to screw your fellow Tallest, do it.

The thought gave Red shivers. He couldn't imagine it. Well, he could imagine it, but he couldn't picture himself actually doing it. The thought led his mind away from doing crude things to Purple's body to more of a philosophical stand point on where he stood on the issue. Sure, Purple was easy enough to pin on a wall. He was weak and helpless, as far brute strength went. Red knew he was stronger, but that didn't give him a right to take advantage him. If he ever wanted to get these images out of his skull, it would have to be on Purple's terms.

He sighed and slunk deeper into the oil. This wasn't a very easy predicament to come over. It didn't help that there was a loud banging echo coming from across the hall.

"What is he doing in there?" Red asked out loud, lifting his head out of the oil a little. He heard a loud crash and then a bang on the door. He began to stand up slightly, antennae flicking with every sound. Then there was a crashing sound on his door, making it shake slightly. He could hear a vicious pounding on the keypad outside. From the various grunts and unintelligible mumble, it was Purple. With a loud, static pop, the door flung open and Purple stumbled in lazily. It swished back shut and shot off slight electric charges. That door wouldn't be opened again any time soon, at least not without a mechanic. Red scowled.

"Pur, what do you want?"

Purple turned towards Red and staggered in his general direction. "I…" he began. He flinched wildly. "Gah, my back stings!" he shouted. He opened his eyes again and saw Red. "Oh, there you are!" he said loudly, having a hard time standing up straight. "Look, Red, where do you get off…" –he hiccupped- "…Where do you get off telling me what to do? I haven't lost the fight yet! But you're all…" Purple stopped and started climbing up the small staircase that led into the tub.

"For the love of-- are you drunk again?" Red asked. He tried to hide himself from Purple as he loomed over him, but that was pretty much impossible.

"You're all… BOSSY!" Purple shouted. He took a step off the rim of the tub and into the oil.

"Did you drink all of the Décès that you mixed? That should have been lethal…" Red sighed.

"And yeh know what… REDDY? You're… You're…" He took another step down into the oil. The bottom of his pant legs were getting soaked by the oil. He stopped and looked at Red again. "Hey, you're nekkid," he commented. He took another step down and tripped on the last stair. He landed with a strong splash into the bath. Red's face got wet and Purple was drenched in the scented oil. Red panicked, about to jump out of the bath, but stopped when he realized that Purple wasn't getting up out of the bath. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him up. Purple gasped for air and coughed up some of the oil.

"Are you alright?" Red cried. He turned and nodded.

"Hey, you're eyes still glow," Purple said. He paused for a moment to look at Red's face. They were extremely close, and Red couldn't help but blush slightly. "Maybe it isn't the lighting."

Red chuckled and tapped his forehead softly on Purple's. "You're insane," he sighed. The next thing Red knew, he was pressed up against the wall of the bathroom. Purple had grabbed his arms and hoisted them above his head, pinning him down. He gasped and looked up at Purple, who had a clouded, dead look in his eyes that he had when he was drunk.

"You're nice, Reddy," he said. He moved his hands so that they wrapped around Red's face. "I like you." He leaned in slowly and kissed him. Red reacted normally. It was like this was meant to happen. He slithered his tongue into Purple's mouth, taking it to a new level. Purple took a break to breath, and Red immediately attacked his neck. He nipped at it, licked it slightly, and kept going until is made a small mark. He smiled when he heard Purple gasp and moan.

This was too easy. Red stupidly stopped for a moment to think. Purple was drunk, but he still wanted to make out with him. Did this make it right? Was this 'only doing it on Purple's terms' like he had decided only moments before? He was drunk, which made his thinking impaired. Would the real Purple ever want to do this?

Red stopped thinking such thoughts when Purple straddled his hips and pressed down. Being in the tub was doing nothing for him. He kept slipping down and his head almost went underwater. He lifted Purple up and dragged him to the edge of the tub.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Red looked down on him and smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Just moving somewhere drier." The small case of stairs leading up and out of the tub helped immensely. Purple gained control of himself and started crawling haplessly, slipping because of the oil. He finally slipped completely and fell on his back. He panted, slightly, still not quite over his near-drowning experience.

"Red!" he slurred. "Where are you!" Red was right next to him, looking at him. His mind was racing. The voice inside his head kept screaming that Purple was drunk and not to go any further. He rubbed his head and continued thinking. It was going to be impossible to get any business done in a situation like this. His thoughts were cut off when he Purple stopped shouting aimlessly and start whining. "My back hurts!" he exclaimed. "It stings, OWIE!"

Red finally turned around to face Purple. He wouldn't stop squirming on the floor. He wasn't sure if this was some sort of reaction to the Décès or just Purple being an ass. He sighed and put on his robe. He wouldn't be taking advantage of Purple today. After tying the rope around his waist, he knelt down next to Purple and forced him to look in his eyes.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked, defeated.

"My back!" Purple yelled, not comprehending anything. Red sighed and rolled him onto his stomach. He pulled his shirt up enough to get a good look and see what the problem was. What he saw shocked him; alarmed him in the least. There was a large, yellow whelp the size of his fist right next to his PAK. In the middle there was a small dot, a puncture wound. Purple wasn't drunk. He was drugged, possibly poisoned. Somebody had stuck a needle in him. That's what the loud clanging was in the kitchen. Purple wasn't cooking, he was being attacked.

"Dammit!" Red shouted. He held Purple up and tried to see if he was still conscious. His eyes were open, put he was still spewing gibberish words. He pounded his fist on the keypad to open the bathroom door, but it wouldn't. It was still busted from how Purple somehow managed to break inside. He kept pounding his fist until cuts from the wires and chips began to form. He finally gave up with that approach, and instead rammed his back into the door. The door cracked in half, and by default began to slide back into the wall. It was stopped by the large dent Red had caused, but it left just enough room for him and Purple to slide through.

Once out in the hallway, Red began to think once again. He wasn't about to ask any of the Irkens around for help, knowing that one of them was trying to kill Purple. He'd have to take Purple to the medic wing himself.

To Be Continued;  
Now and forever, Yer lurvin' BetaL


	10. Sweet Feelings

When I feel lonely I sing dumdeedoe... Hum? Was I writing a story? As always, finals have brainwashed me in a successful, proactive member of society. I haven't written much for the story in a while... Kinda hit a big block-ish shaped object with the word 'Writer's' on it... I wrote this chapter sometime in January or February, I think, and it's one of my favourites. I only edited one sentence during my read-through. Secrets are the hardest things to keep, especially in stories...

Chapter Ten: Sweet Feelings

Purple woke up with a horrible pain in his back. It hurt so much to the point where he couldn't move. Even when he tried to shift his arms, he found himself growing tired quickly. It took all his energy just to open his eyes. The room was sterile and white. Everything was so… clean, except for a dark, fuzzy blotch in the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly and blinked, trying to get a clearer picture.

It was Red, asleep in a chair by his bed.

"…Red?" he asked. He twitched in his chair faintly and looked up, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

"Hey," Red replied, smiling. "You're awake."

"Yeah," Purple grunted. "Where the hell am I?"

"Do you remember passing out?"

"I remember being in the kitchen… and…" he paused for a long while. Red sat patiently next to him, waiting. "I don't know. I remember everything going black…"

"What's the very last thing you remember before everything went black?"

"I… checked the temperature of the oven, and then I… I took a sip of my… Oh, God, Red, did I get drunk again? Tell me I didn't!"

"No, no. You didn't get drunk. You were poisoned."

"What?" he cried. He looked around, finding himself in a room from the medical wing. There was a baggy filled with dark green liquid flowing slowly from a tube to his PAK. "What is that? Is that BLOOD?"

"The medics had to drain your entire body of the infected blood and give you something fresh. What was injected into you was more of a virus than a poison."

"How did this happen?"

"What I think," Red began, taking a small look around to make sure absolutely no one was around. He stood up and sound proofed the room using the keypad to control the slide door. "What I think, is that Council is behind this."

"Really?" Purple asked, his interest upping.

"I think I heard you being attacked before I took my bath, but I didn't think anything about it. It doesn't make much of a difference. You were attacked."

"What are we going to do, now?" Purple asked, fingering the tube with his new blood inside.

"I'm fighting back," Red said. Purple gasped slightly and looked up at him.

"Are you serious?"

"I'll fight, just as long as you remain unseen." Purple grunted, not wanting to stay behind the scenes.

"Why should I hide in your room?" he asked. "They tried to kill me! I wanna fight, too!"

"Don't be stupid!" Red countered. He raised his hand to make a point, but was interrupted.

"What happened?" Purple asked, noticing a small gauze taped to Red's hand and another strapped to the middle of his arm. It was the same hand he had used to pound the touchpad. He quickly lowered his hand and looked towards the ground.

"It's… It's nothing. Just a scratch." He looked up and smiled. "You know how it is. Once you're famous, they start treating paper cuts like detached limbs." Purple glanced up at the ceiling, giving the illusion of thinking.

"No. I don't."

"It doesn't matter," Red sighed. Obviously, trying to win Purple over with jokes, no matter how pathetic, wasn't going to work. This wasn't a time to charm is colleague, though. "I just think that you would be safer in my room or somewhere safe. Since now it's obvious that the Council is after you, maybe if you go into hiding they won't know you're still alive. I-" His tangent was cut short by a knock on the door. Red glanced at it angrily and opened it. A medic walked in with no introduction.

"Sir, it's nice that you want to stay with your… friend while he's hurt, but please don't lock the doors. It's important that we have access to all of the rooms at all times." He turned towards Purple, holding his clipboard. "How are you feeling?"

"Crappy."

"Understood. We monitored that your PAK was regenerated. You've been through a lot. I have a small list of things we did while you were out, is now a good time to go over them?"

Purple glanced at Red, who just rolled his eyes and sat down, annoyed. "Sure."

"First, there was the puncture on your back. We were able to patch that up okay. There might be some itching because of the disinfectant, it's normal. Then there's the replacement of blood," he commented, nodding his head towards the baggy connected to Purple's PAK. "Thanks to an early anonymous donor, that's almost done making a full course and it shouldn't be plugged in much longer. Oddly enough, the poison in your system wasn't deadly. It just got into your back and faded your actions and thoughts, that's why you blacked out and probably acted strangely against your will. We also noticed a small whelp on your neck."

"My neck?" Purple asked, lifting his hand and rubbing it softly until he felt the tender spot. Red shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"It doesn't look like it was made at the same time of the attack," the medic explained.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Purple interrupted, holding his other hand up to quite the Irken. He turned to Red. "He knows that this was an attack?"

"It's okay," Red sighed, trying to hide the small blush in his cheeks. "He's friends with Xloof."

"Who's Xloof?"

"Don't worry about it," Red said. "He's a friend who said he'd back me up."

"Anyway, the marking doesn't seem to have been made at the same time of the attack. We're still a little curious as to where it came from. In my personal opinion, if I may be so bold, it looks like somebody… bit you."

"Bit me? Who would _bite _me?" Purple cried, glancing at Red for help on the matter.

"I think that's enough," he announced. "Is there anything else you need to say," he asked the medic. He sorted through the files open on his data pad.

"No, that about covers anything. He should rest in here about another day or two. Maybe you should get out, too. You've been cooped up in here for three days." With that, the Irken nodded his head and left the room. Red was left cringing, body turned as far opposite of Purple as possible.

"Three days?" Purple asked, breaking the ice. "I've been in here for three days?"

"Yeah," Red replied slowly, turning around.

"And you were with me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I… You know… You're…" Red tried to draw out, "You're… my partner. We're working together, now. I couldn't just leave you here without any supervision. What if a Council member came in a finished the job?"

"I see, I think," Purple sighed, massaging his arm. "How did you find me?"

"What?" Red asked, hoping he wasn't going in the direction he thought.

"How did you find me? You're never in the kitchen. How long was I sitting there until you realized I was hurt?"

Ouch. Either way Red answered that, Purple would probably ring him into another loop of questions that would somehow lead him to find out about what he did to him when he was drugged.

"Not long," he answered as coolly as possible.

"But your baths take forever! How could it have not been long?"

Red cringed again. "Don't… Just don't worry about it. You're safe now." He sighed and sat back down in the chair. "Go back to sleep or something." Purple breathed deeply and relaxed a little. He looked up at the ceiling dully. Everything in the white room seemed to blend together, except for Red. It was like they were in their own little universe, just the two of them.

"Thanks," Purple said softly.

"What for?" Red chuckled. "Dragging you into this almost got you killed."

"Just… thanks for staying with me. It means a lot." Purple shut his eyes and let the fatigue that had built up since he awoke take control.

"No problem," Red sighed, watching him as he fell asleep again.

When Purple woke up again, he was in Red's room, which didn't surprise him much. Red was asleep on his small couch, looking as if he were going to fall off. Purple felt his arm, and noted that the tube wasn't plugged in anymore. He had no idea how long it had been since he last woke up. He stood up, using the bed frame for support, and attempted to stand alone. His legs had grown weak from being days, possibly a week or more off his feet. He found walking came easy, and he stumbled over to the window, peeking behind the vibrant crimson curtain. The stars from outside the ship glowed palely. They were passing a nearby planet which emitted an eerie yellow color. Purple shut the drape quickly and looked around the room.

It seemed like the only time he ever had a chance to look around, he was drowsy and hung over. He paced around the room slowly, noting every scratch and dent that had occurred since Miyuki had left. It seemed to have a tainted aggressive look. The red and black tints didn't help set the mood. He had always known Red for possessing a temper, but he never saw him do anything. He looked back at him, still sleeping on the couch. He watched as he snorted and rolled on his side. Purple walked over to him slowly. When he got next to the couch, he knelt down to be at eye-level with his strange ally.

"You're such a mystery," he whispered. "I've known you forever, but I hardly know you…" He sighed and continued to stare, nervous about what would happen if he were to wake up. He looked peaceful enough, in his sleep. Then again, most things do. Purple breathed in deeply, a familiar scent catching him by surprise. Red always had the smell of his favorite alcoholic drink on him, but Purple never saw him drink. Purple kept creeping closer, inhaling his scent. It wasn't as sweet as the Décès, but still smelt delicious. It wasn't long until Purple was unreasonably close to Red, now. He could almost taste the drink on his lips.

He felt Red's unreactive lips against his. It was an explosion or new senses and feelings. It was like someone ripped out his stomach and filled it with bubbles. It was the best feeling ever. Purple craved to go deeper, but forced himself to stop when Red began to stir. He'd probably be waking up soon. Purple moved back to the other edge of the room and sat on the bed. Red would probably realize he was faking sleep, but it didn't matter. At least he'd hopefully not find out about what he did. If Red knew he might be developing… feelings for him, he'd disown him for sure. It would be best to see how he really thinks of him before going any further. That would work.


	11. Strange Events

It's been a while since I've updated… I've got a new computer, a Mac, along with a new printer (a long overdue necessity). I meant to update about a week ago, but the jumpdrive that this story is on didn't work with my Mac. After some painful research about what the problem was, all is solved and I can now write and update from my Mac, at least until the 30 day trial period of Microsoft Word doesn't run out…

Chapter Eleven: Strange Events

Red woke up feeling awkward. It was like something happened to make him wake up; he didn't do it on his own. He smacked his lips softly and looked over at his bed, noting that Purple was still asleep. He walked over to him quietly and watched him for a few minutes. Purple was so peaceful in his sleep, not like the whiney little bitch he could sometimes be when he was awake. Red almost wished that he would stay drunk more often. He was easy that way. He stopped thinking such thoughts when Purple shifted in bed and looked up at him.

"You're awake," Red exclaimed.

"It would seem that way," Purple said, sitting up while trying to avoid looking at Red directly. Nobody could avoid the gurgling noise coming out of his stomach, however. "I'm hungry," he announced.

"You haven't eaten in three days," he commented. "I'll go get something from the kitchen," Red sighed walked towards the door.

"Are you kidding?" Purple asked, shifting out of bed. "You don't know how to do anything with a kitchen. If I'm going to eat something, I want it to be edible."

"Like anyone's ever eaten your food," Red tisked. "Fine, I'll go with you."

"Why? You're no help," Purple said, walking up to him and staring him in the eye. They were such a strong, deep crimson it almost melted him. Red continued looking slightly annoyed.

"I'm helpful enough," he spat. His voice was enough to shove Purple out of his momentary hypnosis. He nodded, walking past him and to the door. The hallway was empty, so both continued together until they reached the kitchen, where Purple turned and stopped Red. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to make something special for dinner," Purple announced.

"Special? We're both starving. I don't care how special the food is, I just want to eat it."

"Wait outside," he said.

"Why?"

"Presentation is everything. I don't want you to see all of the sweaty behind-the-scenes work." Red just stared.

Sweaty. Sweaty Purple. Sweaty, shirtless Purple lying on his bed.

"Are you alright?" he asked Red. He snapped slightly and paid attention to the Purple in front of him.

"Fine." He pressed the touchpad which opened to door, and Purple walked in, leaving him outside.

"It shouldn't take too long to cook. Give me fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes for two meals?"

"I know what I'm doing," Purple said, bragging slightly. He looked up at Red again. He kept the same, inattentive look, as he always did. Purple wondered if anything ever went on in his friend's head. Did he ever think about him? He knew it was a stupid to think that making him dinner would be enough to put any impression on him. There were more important matters to worry about, like the Council overthrow. While he stared at Red between the doorway like a girl being dropped off after a date, he pressed the touchpad to make the door close. The metal gate slammed between them.

Purple turned quickly as soon as Red couldn't watch, clutching his chest. There was nobody in the kitchen, as always. At least this gave him a few seconds to think. Did Red care for him? When did this happen? He was probably just being nice since he was hurt, but still… Did this mean he had a sensitive side? Red was obviously violent, but never showed it in front of anybody. Did this mean he did training? Purple sighed angrily and rubbed his head. He didn't have to think about this. He had a dinner to produce. Heating up the stove, he prepared to practice his art.

After going at it for nearly twenty minutes, there was a knock at the door.

"Pur, c'mon. Let me in! I'm hungry!" Red shouted from the other side. Purple cringed and ran to the table.

"Just a few minutes!" he announced, taking a tablecloth and placing down plates and utensils the proper way on the table. "Before you come in, wear a cloth around your eyes!"

"What? Why?" Red spat from behind the door.

"Because I want you to be surprised when you eat my food," Purple said, taking the strange, foreign green globs of food from the oven. It may not look edible, but at least it tasted good. He knew if Red caught a glimpse of… whatever it was he made, he'd never eat it. He wanted him to eat his food, it was just a shame he couldn't make it look first-rate.

"What are you, my wife?"

Purple halted, taking it as insult before a potential compliment.

"Just do it!" he yelled.

"Fine," Red caved, too frustrated and starving to care. He walked back down the hallway, through the lobby, and into his room. In his closet, there were nothing but robes hanging from hanger on three levels. He grabbed one of the ropes that tied a robe together, a magenta hued one that he never bothered wearing. He looked at another robe, a grey one. It was then when he realized he hadn't changed since the incident with Purple. He didn't want Purple to think he didn't care enough not to change the smelly clothes he was in, so he quickly dropped the robe he was wearing on the floor and exchanged it for the new grey one.

With the rope to the robe in hand, he walked out of his closet, through his room, out the lobby, down the hallway, and was back at the kitchen door. He restlessly tied the rope around his eyes, stopping any light from coming in. "Pur!" he shouted, banging on the door again. "How much longer, I'm hungry!"

"Just a few more minutes, I promise," Purple replied from the other side. Red grunted, turning around and sitting on the floor. It wasn't so much that he wanted to food right away, it more that he wanted to see his partner, just to make sure he was safe. The last time he left him alone in the kitchen he was attacked, and if it happened again his recovery might not be as sweet. Red sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. This whole Purple situation was beginning to bug him again. It would be simpler if Purple wasn't there, tainting his thoughts and taking his bed. Then again, he liked the idea of having a friend in this. With Purple on his side, it would be easier to govern the empire and do all the delegations with other planets. All of the past Tallests seemed to be brave, intellects as well as soldiers. Red was only a soldier, but with Purple being, in theory, smarter than he was, working together would make a perfect rule. He wondered why anyone would ever want to kill Purple in the first place.

He stopped thinking when he heard footsteps coming from down the hallway.

"Who's there?" he asked reaching up to take off the rope. Before he had the chance, there was cold pain outside his head, a bludgeon smacking him. He screamed in pain, but was knocked out cold before he could shout for help.

"Red? Red, what's wrong?" Purple asked, opening the door. He looked at the floor where he would have been sitting and saw a small trail of blood trailing around the corner and to the hover elevators. He cursed silently and rushed back into the kitchen. Red was attacked. Red was never attacked. It was stupid for him to blindfold him, it left him open for assault from the Council. He couldn't just sit here and hope he was alive. He had to do something. He had a friend, Red's friend from the bar. He couldn't remember his name, but if he found the medic that helped them earlier, he would be able to find out. However he couldn't leave the kitchen looking the way he was. What if the council was still lurking about? What if they wanted to kill him, too?

Then Purple stopped to think about something else. Red was gone. With him gone, he'd be able to claim the empire as his own. There wouldn't be any bickering anymore. However Red did say they were partners now. Did he mean it? Why would he just suddenly stop fighting Purple for the thrown? What had happened between their visit to the club and afterwards that gave Red a huge change of heart? He knew he was drunkard at the time, but what could have been said that would make him so nice? It was strange that Red would bother to spend three days in the hospital with him, and who knows how many days after that. Purple had to admit to himself that it was charming, but not in his character. Something was up that Red wasn't telling him, and the only way to find out was to find him.

Finding a new assertion to head out again, Purple nodded his head and took a deep breath. He quickly opened the kitchen door again and sprinted into Red's room, not stopping until he made it to the closet. There had to be something Red owned that he could disguise himself with. Much to his dismay, almost all of his outfits were lounging robes or formal wear; things that would be grotesquely out-of-place and inconvenient for a rescue mission. His eyes settled on a something black on a higher rack. A surprising new concept for Purple, being as tall as he was, he reached up and took the piece of clothing off to examine it.

It was a black robe, thick but light, but not made for lounging or for after bathing. Purple had a hard time wondering why Red had such a strange costume such as this in his closet, but in the end left it as a token for his advantage. The piece had a hood to hide his face, and wrapped around fully so Purple could disguise his height safely by bending his knees. He put it on over his shoulders, and realizing without any armholes this new cover was more like a cape.

The next step would be slightly more difficult. The escape. He couldn't just run down the hallway and hope to get out scot-free, although it did seem like Red's attackers might have had connections with the guards to get away unnoticed. The only other way out of the room was through the secret hover elevator that led to the Colossal's command deck. Either the room was deserted except for only the bare minimum to keep it running or it was bustling with activity with Irkens at their jobs. The sprint down the long hallway was just too risky, and he had a better chance of getting an empty command deck since it was so late at night. It was decided.

Purple opened the door to the closet slowly and peeked around, just to make sure a maid didn't come in while he was changing. He noticed the robe Red was wearing earlier on the floor along with a rack. He must be wearing different clothes, Purpled noted to himself.

The room was empty, easily presumable, and he walked to the window's curtain, pulling it aside and pressing the button which unlatched the secret elevator. Upon stepping on it, it raised him up to the highest level, stopping at the command deck. Purple gulped, moving to the front side of the elevator so when it opened he wouldn't be seen right away. He adjusted the cape and put the hood on so he was properly hidden. A ding announced the arrival to the destination, and doors slid open with a hiss. Purple cringed, and upon not hearing any loud noises, poked his head out to check his surroundings. The control deck was completely deserted. At first he thought it was a joke, until he saw the auto-pilot map on the main monitor and a lone Irken fast asleep next to the controls. Purple made a mental note to punish him when he got back. If he got back.

Not wasting any more time, he ran out of the elevator and to the nearest exit, entering a short hallway which led the main hover elevators. Upon stepping on one, he commanded his next destination.

"Medic Wing."

The elevator moved with a churn and with less precision that the hidden one. It was noisy and gave Purple the impression that he'd be found out, if Irkens didn't use these elevators all the time anyways. He sighed and tried to relax, to think of a plan. This medic he had to find, Purple didn't know his name, either. Finding him might be just as hard as finding Red's friend.

He stopped and noticed that the elevator was slowing down far too early for it to be the medic wing. It came to a complete stop and the doors swooshed open again. A portly Irken of average height walked in and noticed him cloaked in black, seemingly hiding in the corner. He looked at him strangely for a moment before requesting the next stop. "Boiler Room."


	12. Good Friends

Seems like forever since I last updated… This emotion rollercoaster seems like it's riding me, but I progress. The story's wrapping up (not here… right now, the action's just beginning…) I liked this chapter. Xloof is probably one of my favourite characters to write. He's such a smartass…

Read on, mighty Spartans…

b CHAPTER TWELVE: Good Friends /b 

"Boiler Room."

The name of the room rung bells in Purple's head. The boiler room was where Red used to work. Maybe this person is an ally, too. It was too far to call right now. It might just be someone traveling down to deliver a message or an order. Purple glanced at him to see if he had any of the familiar smudges of dirt and sweat like Red had when he delivered the bathing oils to Miyuki, but found that he had none. If he was going to work, he must have bathed between visits. Purple cursed when a small ding announced the arrival of the medic wing. The doors opened widely and showed the pristine, white halls with medics rushing in and out of the rooms. There was a long pause before anything was done to correct this.

"Someone must have… pressed a button by accident," Purple commented, making small conversation. The Irken seemed surprised that he bothered to talk, and just nodded his head in response. The doors soon shut, and the elevator went on its way down to the boiler room. It wouldn't take long before the Irken would leave the elevator and Purple would be left without a clue again. Against all odds, Purple swallowed his pride and spoke again. "So… I heard you say you're going to the boiler room."

"What's it to yeh?" the Irken replied gruffly, obviously wishing he had chosen another elevator.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just wondering if it was a nice place to work. Good pay? Benefits?"

"Yeah, right," he replied, chuckling sarcastically. He decided that maybe Purple wasn't as much of a creep at he let himself on to be. "The pay's crap, and there are no benefits unless you're the boss. The Tallest… man, is that bastard a slave-driver. He keeps us busy all hours of the night and day! He likes to stay clean…"

"But didn't Tallest Red use to work in the boiler room, himself?" Purple asked.

"Maybe," the Irken said, looking strangely at him. "How would you know that?" Purple hesitantly reached his arm up and pulled back his hood, revealing his face. He unbent his knees and stood to his full height, towering over the other. The Irken's face dropped all signs of suspicion and he instantly bowed. "My Tallest!" he said nervously. "My i other /i Tallest…" he added quickly, "What brings you here?" he asked, looking up at him. "Xloof told us that we might need to be brought to aide you, but he didn't give us details."

"Xloof?" Purple asked, the name sounding familiar. "Is he a friend of Red's?"

"I'd reckon. They might not be in a neighborly sense, but Xloof always looked out for Red. They weren't always nice, but they were understanding."

"Right. Would he be in the boiler room now? I have to speak with him about something very important."

"Xloof is the boss, he's always down there. His living quarters are on the same level."

"Great," Purple said, at last finding some reclusion in finding Red. The elevator slowed down and the doors opened to the boiler room. The short Irken, with a new-found mission, guided Purple to Xloof's housing unit. He knocked on the door loudly and shouted.

"Sir! His Almighty Tallest is here to speak with you!" he announced. A small shuffle could be heard from inside, and in a moment the door opened. Another Irken, slightly taller than the other, looked up at Purple, a bit crestfallen.

"You are dismissed," he said to the younger one, who bowed to Purple again and walked off to do his work. "I thought you might be Red," he commented, walking inside while leaving the door open to invite Purple in. "Is something wrong?"

"Well," Purple began, ducking under the door so he could get through, "Red's kinda been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped, you say?" Xloof reiterated, sitting down on a chair. Purple shut the door. "Why do you want to get him back?"

The question caught Purple off guard. He was beginning to see what the Irken was talking about, with their relationship and how they weren't exactly friends. "Because… he's my partner. We're co-Tallests."

"Co-Tallests? I've never heard of such a thing. People won't take to this lightly. Nobody likes change. Why do you want to cause such an uproar by saving him?"

"I want to because we made a pact that we would work together!" Purple exclaimed, becoming more frustrated that someone was undermining his authority.

"So, instead of ruling the empire by yourself and taking all the fame and glory, you're trying to save your friend which you've barely known for a week on a mission that could possibly kill you?"

"Yes," he seethed.

"Why?"

"Haven't I already answered this?"

"Perhaps," he said, leaning in and getting a good look at Purple's face, "however, I feel like you aren't telling me the whole truth. I think you two have a stronger connection than you lead on."

"What connection would that be?" Purple snapped. When he thought about it, he began to discover what he was hinting at. It all led back to earlier when he woke up in Red's bed, and he felt it. He felt it again when he was alone in the medic room with him, and when he kissed him when he was asleep. Did Xloof possibly know how he secretly felt for Red? He felt his cheeks get slightly warmer.

"You're blushing. Can I ask why?"

"I," Purple began, covering his cheeks with his hands, "I… It's none of your business." That wasn't obvious at all. Purple was mentally kicking himself in the head. Idiot! He knew that same-gender couples were outlawed by Tallest Xephron. If someone found out about how he felt, he'd get in serious trouble, maybe even stripped of his title as Tallest!

"I see," Xloof continued, leaning back in this chair. "So this is more like a mission of love rather than to benefit the empire, right?"

Once again, Xloof's comment seemed to have left Purple stranded. He never once thought of the empire when he thought about saving Red. "You do realize that you have every characteristic it takes to be an excellent Tallest alone, right?"

"I do?" Purple asked. He never really thought of himself as a Tallest. The only time where he felt worthy to rule the empire was when Red was near him. No matter what Xloof said, he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything if Red wasn't there ruling as well. If he was going to save the empire, he was going to need Red back. "I don't care," Purple said. "I'm going to rescue him. I need your help, though."

"It's a nice gesture," Xloof commented, "but I have a habit of not doing things that will waste my time." It seemed true. Xloof looked and acted like an Irken who wouldn't do much of anything unless he found it purely in his best interest. "If you just want Red back to help you govern things, that's all well and good, but it doesn't need to be done. Like I said earlier, you could most likely manage things better than he could."

"What? How can you say things like that?" Purple sighed, exasperated. What kind of friend was Xloof, anyway? He seemed so willing to just let Red die… or maybe, he had something else up his sleeve. "So you're not going to help me?" Purple gasped, questioning whether he should hire Blorch mercenaries to find him or start begging Xloof for help.

"I didn't say that," he supposed. "I'm just saying that I need a proper reason for why I should sacrifice my friends into your cause."

"What would a proper reason be? Just tell me and that will be the reason!" Purple cried, getting on his knees and choosing begging.

"I can't make that decision. You tell me."

A long pause took over the conversation. Purple stared helplessly at the ground. What did Red mean to him? He was rude, stuck-up, arrogant, and bossy. He always underestimated him and made him feel bad about himself. Then again, he was also thoughtful and caring, smart (to a point) and handsome. He brought emotions about in Purple that he didn't even know existed. He didn't care if it was one-sided. The butterflies and bubbles in his stomach awoke once again as if to confirm what he should have already known. "I love him." It was more like a verbal saying to himself, something to tell him that he, Almighty Tallest Purple, was in love with Almighty Tallest Red.

"There!" Xloof exclaimed. "That's an excellent reason to fight for someone. Don't let anybody ever tell you differently." Purple continued to stare at the ground, trying to get his thoughts in order. He had never loved anybody before. The closest thing he ever had to love was his adoration of Tallest Miyuki. Even then, however, the feelings he had when he was with Red were something completely different. A feeling like he'd melt in his eyes. Like he'd get sunburned from blushing so much when he was in his presence.

"You're not going to turn me in?" he asked.

"Turn you in? Why? It may be a law that you can never be together in public, but no one can never challenge the heart."

"How… How did you know about it?" Purple asked.

"It was easy to read. I first saw you at the club in the south wing. That's when Red and I first met and when you got hammered."

"Yes, I remember," Purple grumbled, embarrassed.

"I stuck around a while after he sent me off and realized that he really does care for you. He treats you with more respect than any other Irken he's come into contact with. And, after hearing about your bedroom exploding, it was only logical that Red would let you stay in his room."

"So, you think he likes me back?"

"I wouldn't go that far. Emotions can be difficult to translate and sometimes can be misinterpreted. The only way to find out for sure is to rescue him."

"Right," Purple replied, standing up. "But where do we start? The Council could be anywhere, and I can't even begin to imagine where they could have taken him."

"First," Xloof began, standing up and walking over to the video communicator, "we need to keep track of all importing and exporting."

"Why?"

Xloof pressed a few buttons, and a ringing tone filled the empty space. "To make sure they haven't taken him off board."

The ringing tone was replaced by a distressed Irken, the same one Purple had seen asleep at the controls, just having woken up. "Hello?" he asked, and then realizing who it was, straightened up. "Greetings, my Tallest!"

"Um, greetings… brave Irken… soldier," Purple said, confused and looking off-screen at Xloof for advice. He just rotated his hand, signaling for him to keep going. "I want a complete record of what ships have left the Colossal in the past two hours."

"Two hours?" the Irken replied at the strange request. He pressed a few buttons, and then looked at a screen that was off-camera. After a few moments of loading and reading, he answered. "It says that no ships have left any of the hangers aboard the Colossal, sir."

"Great!" Purple answered. This significantly lowered Red whereabouts, to a point. "I want you to lock all gates leaving in or out of the Colossal. I want to make sure that every Irken stays aboard."

"Sir, are you sure?" the Irken asked. "What about our importing and exporting? And the soldiers who need to return and leave for missions?"

"We have bigger things to worry about now," Purple answered. "Put a hold on all exporting and those who need to leave on missions. Divert all the importing and Irkens coming home to Irk."

"Okay," he sighed, putting out the bulletin with the news to every Irken on the ship. "Sir, is something going on? Are we going to be attacked?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing that concerns you," Purple sighed, cutting the transmission. He looked over at Xloof, who seemed a little more satisfied knowing that Red was somewhere on the ship. "So, are we going to do this?" he asked.

On the other side of the Colossal, in the control room, the little Irken sat aggravated in front of the control deck. He couldn't very well lie to his Tallest in the face. If they found out he was lying, they would kill him for sure. He grumbled, knowing he'd probably get a worse fate by calling in. His PAK opened up and his communicator appeared in his face.

"What?" a voice asked on the other end.

"It's, uh, me, s-sir," the Irken stammered. "We've b-been found out."

"Quit your whining, Srooborg! Tell me what happened!"

"Project V-Violet has been corrupted, sir. They're f-fighting back. He f-forced me to shut down all the exit g-gates."

"Then open them back up!"

"I can't with a Tallest or another official's approval. We don't have one of us with a high enough rank to permit it!"

"Fine," the voice on the other line hissed. "Stay at your station and continue your work. We might need your help later. Stay online."

"Yes sir." The transmission was cut immediately, the Irken sat alone in front of the computer wiping beads of sweat off his forehead.


	13. Sweet Dreams

Doodeedoo… I've been working on four other project simultaneously. You can thank my lovely doll Alcatraz for reminding me that this story still has to be finished.

This chapter raises an interesting question. Do Irkens have dicks? The world may never know, but I mainly wrote this chapter for a little fun.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Sweet Dreams

"Yeh got the wrong one. Yeh got the wrong fucking one."

"I'm really sorry, sir. It was hard to tell the difference, we just-"

"What do yeh couldn't tell the difference? 'Is eyes are bloody RED!"

Red. The word sounded familiar. Red woke up slowly, an overwhelming headache causing him to lose sight for a moment. What happened? That's right, someone came and hit him in the head. He left himself wide open like a sitting duck. He forced himself to stay awake and conscious while listening on the conversation.

"His eyes were hidden behind some kind of cloth. We couldn't tell they were red, sir."

"What about 'is PAK? Couldn't you tell that it lacks the color purple?" shouted someone, presumably the leader.

Purple. Purple! Good God, was he okay? Was he alive?

"You hit 'im pretty 'ard, y'think? Do that with the true leader and he could've died."

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"You bet it won't," he sighed. "However, this does put us in a bit of an advantage. Instead of leading the Red 'ere, we lead Tallest Purple. When he gets 'ere, we kill off the Red one an' show 'im we're serious. 'E shouldn't take the leadership of the Council lightly."

Red's eyes widened. It was the Council, their leader talking near him. For the time being, it would be better to fake unconsciousness. His head still ached and he knew there was nothing he could do if he couldn't see straight. As long as he knew Purple was safe, he had nothing to worry about.

"Sir, do you think this is right? The red one does seem to have better leadership capabilities. Wouldn't we be better off killing the purple one and just letting the red one out with a warning?"

Red scoffed slightly, making sure he didn't bring any attention to himself. He was angry that they identified them as objects, viewing them as twins that looked alike.

"Naw," the leader responded. "Let 'im live. The red one is too dangerous alone. Rumors are spreading that 'e's already started some sor' of revolution, a group of friends to help fight."

"That's ludicrous. What gives him the notion to think he can defeat us? There's a hundred of us, what does he have? His little buddies down in the boiler room?"

Red gulped.

"Like I said, they're just rumors. I doubt there's any truth in 'em at all." The leader paused for a moment. "Don't think too much into it. I doubt these creatures have any brains to pull off something this big. The purple one's probably just worried for 'is friend."

Red started to relax, the hit on his head beginning to take its toll. His eyes weighed down.

"Since the plans have changed, sir, when should we lure the purple one in? We can't have him cutting off the exporting too long. If this keeps up, it'll ruin the empire."

"Yes, yes," the leader sighed. "Give 'em a few days, then we'll grab 'im and take 'im over here. He can't find out where we are, though. Make sure he's… well secured."

Red couldn't take the pressure anymore. He gave into sleep and nodded off, telling his subconscious to wake him up in due time before Purple arrived.

"Yes, sir," the assistant responded. He walked out of the dark room, leaving his boss on his own.

Red woke up with a start, in a thankfully different location. His head didn't hurt anymore, after rubbing where he could have sworn a huge scar or at least a bruise would be. Perhaps he had been asleep longer than he thought…

Looking around, he found himself in the same surroundings as his room. The same bed, same walls, windows, even carpeting. There was just one major flaw.

"Where am I?" he asked, noting that everything around him was some shade of purple and gray.

"In my room," an all-too familiar voice answered. Red turned his head, and saw Purple standing on the opposite side.

"Purple? What happened? Why am I here?" Red asked, shifting but still holding his head.

"We found their base!" he announced happily, running over to the bed. "I found out where they hid, killed the bad guy, and rescued you! I even got them to let us both be Tallests! We get to rule the empire as a team, now!"

"You're… kidding," Red commented. "How long was I out?"

Purple knelt next to the bed and rested his arms and chin on the mattress. "It seemed like forever. The doctors said that you weren't in a coma, they said you were just… resting."

Red paused, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, I'm awake now." He turned his head back to the Irken next to him.

"How long have you been here?" he asked. Purple moved slightly and looked up at him.

"Since… forever," he answered bluntly. "I really like you, Red."

Red blinked and stared back. "You what?"

"I love you."

"I… I…" Red didn't know what to think. His mind was racing. i Is this for real/i Same gender relations weren't allowed in the Empire, even if he was a Tallest. He kept questioning himself, which eventually caused him to think aloud. "I don't know what to think…" he finally replied bluntly.

"Just a façade," Purple sighed, getting up slowly. He gave the appearance that he was leaning towards him. "Don't pretend to hide this. It's legal, now. I changed the rules. We can be together."

"You did?" Red replied happily. Purple beamed and fell in closer. Red opened his arms and welcomed him. "This is great! I didn't know what to think… I thought you didn't like me… in _that_ way…"

"I love you, Red," he repeated. He leaned in and kissed him, willingly parting his lips and letting their tongues play and explore. In the middle, Purple pulled one leg up on the bed. Red was having the time of his life. As Purple climbed on the bed, Red broke away from the kiss and started nipping at his neck and shoulder. The moaning, gasping, and playful giggles coming from Purple were too much. He felt himself getting excited. Purple brought his other leg up and wrapped both around Red, holstering his hips.

"Red," he said, almost pleading. Red took a break from his work and looked at Purple. "Do me."

"What? Are you… are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you." He sat up and started undoing the belt to his robe.

"Purple, I think that maybe…" Red didn't finish his thought. He led himself to remembering what happened when Purple was drugged and in his bathroom. He made a promise to himself then that he wouldn't take advantage of Purple if he were ever in a state of mind that would impair his thinking. However, Purple wasn't drunk, or poisoned, or hit really hard on the head. This was true, and now Purple was half naked rubbing his body on Red's chest. "Hey, Pur, hold on a second. I'm not even changed yet," he commented.

"What are you talking about?" Purple asked moving his head so he could look at him. Red noticed that the hospital robe he was wearing earlier had mysteriously vanished. At this point, Red was stupid for asking himself anything.

"I love you, Red," Purple stated for the fourth time, kissing his neck.

"I love you… Purple…" Red said, faded. The pain where he was hit in the head returned with a sharp, stinging sensation. Red winced, and when he opened his eyes he saw that Purple was gone. He wasn't in his room anymore, but instead in a cage normally reserved for animals. Purple's elated chuckles still rung in his ears.

"That's just sick, mate," he heard a voice speak to him. Red looked around him, but saw nobody.

"Where am I?" he demanded, realizing that it was all a dream. However, there were some side effects left over from such a sensual hallucination. He tried to adjust his robes to hide his throbbing evidence of the vision.

"It's sad 'nuff that you think about sex at a time like this, but getting your kicks off a gent?" The accent of the voice caught Red's attention. He heard footsteps coming from behind him. Upon turning, he saw his unknown mortal enemy step out from the shadows. His eyes were a wicked green, borderline yellow, with dark rings underneath. His antenna were crooked and misshapen, as if he hadn't slept in a long, long time. His lips cracked to form a smirk, revealing his nasty, yellow teeth. "Talking in your sleep is bad, my Tallest. 'Specially for someone of your stature in such a situation." The leader of the Council started pacing around the cage, Red not taking his eyes off him for a second. "You're an odd one, my Tallest. Your mind changes constantly, you can't stick with the same idea for too long. At first you didn't care a 'bout us, and now you want us dead. At first you detested his Tallest Purple, and now, if I may be so bold, you love 'em?"

Red growled lowly, glaring with a distinct stance of hatred.

"I guess I've hit a soft spot," he said. "We've got a lot to do before your li'le friend shows up, if 'e even bothers coming at all." He paused for a moment and walked closer to the cage. "I really don't see why 'e'd ever fall for a gent like you. You're a complete mess," he whispered. The leader backed away, regaining his composure. Deciding he'd had enough one-sided conversing for one day, he walked off, disappearing into the shadows once again. "And take the edge off. You look like a bloody squalid teenager," he added from behind the darkness.


	14. The Tactics

So I'm not really much of a talker. I've been bashed a lot recently (some more recent than others, since it has been a while since my last update) about my beliefs. I would just like to let everyone know that I am not going away anytime soon.

b Chapter 14:

"Okay," Purple said, hanging up the phone, just finishing giving the commands to stop all importing and exporting for the Colossal. "So, are we going to do this? Now what?"

"Now we regroup," Xloof answered.

"How long will that take?" he asked, anxious.

"You told me that there were about a hundred members of this Council, right?"

"About, yeah."

"There are only twenty workers down here. I can maybe scratch up a few others willing to fight, but… I can't get a hundred."

"And we'd want more than that to be on an advantage…" Purple sighed, sitting on one of Xloof's chairs. Silence filled the room as he thought about different tactics to use. "Who's to say it's gonna be a bloody overthrow?" he asked. "What if the Council are actually understanding, intellectual beings. Perhaps we could reason with them by talking."

"Talking?" Xloof scoffed. "How much talking do you think they had with Red before the bludgeoned him in the head and kidnapped him?" Of course, it was a hypothetical question. Purple sat longer, still coming up with new ideas.

"What about an ambush? If we catch them by surprise maybe the numbers won't matter."

"They're using Red as bate. They want you to find them. They'll be expecting anything, and their location probably won't serve well for an ambush," Xloof explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if they started dropping gigantic clues at you for where their hiding spot is."

"What do you think they want?"

"It's obvious," he answered. "They want for there to be only one Tallest, and for them to stay in control over the empire. Their plans are to kill one of you."

"Kill?" Purple cried, highly disturbed at the thought.

"Of course! The rules for two Irkens of the same height is a sudden death match or surrender, but no level thinking Irken would ever surrender, so the only other option is death. Then, you two idiots started acting like friends and falling in love instead of killing each other! Nothing pisses off the Council more then stable plans gone awry. You and Red take the cake." He pulled a chair over so he was sitting directly in front of Purple. "Here's what they have planned," he started, seriously. "It can go two ways. They lure you to wherever they're hiding, kill Red to prove to you that they have serious power, and now you're the only one to rule. Or, once you get there, they kill you as proof to Red that they can do whatever they want."

Purple didn't reply to the remarks. After hearing Xloof explain the different situations, it seemed horribly obvious. He stared towards the ground for a long while before blinking and returning his gaze to the Irken opposite him.

"You weren't always a boiler room worker, were you?"

"No, no I wasn't," Xloof chuckled warmly.

"Jeez, what is it with you and all the boiler room workers? Do all of you have mysterious pasts? What were you, a mercenary for Miyuki?"

"Naw," he said. "I worked with Red when he was in Special Ops. I planned tactics for us and for what the enemy had planned."

"You knew him before he was punished?"

"Yep. It's one of the reasons for why I'm alive, too. Being friends with a favorite of the Tallest keeps you living after doing something stupid. If Red hadn't backed me up when we were in hot water, I could have died."

"But I don't get it. He's taller than you. Why are you his boss?"

"Red's just like that. He may act tough, but on the inside he craves order."

"If he likes order so much, why does he want the Council gone, too? He'd want it, then."

"He wants it gone because you do," he explained, adding "and perhaps because they i kidnapped /i him. The fact is, he let me be the boss because he didn't think he could manage the boiler room by himself."

"If he didn't think he could manage a room with twenty Irkens in it, how could he possibly think he'd be suitable for ruling over an empire of millions alone?"

"Because he knew he'd have the Council to back him up."

"But… now he wants the kill the Council…"

"Because now he knows that he'll have you to be there for him."

Purple fell silent again. He stared at the floor, his head resting in his hands. He looked back up at Xloof. "What's the next step after we get everyone together?"

"The squeaky wheel."

"The what?"

"The squealer, the nark," he explained, getting up and walking towards the door. Purple followed. "The Irken that has loose lips."

"We need to find one?" Purple asked.

"We already have."

"Oh…"

"Let me do all the dirty work, my Tallest. You go back up to your room where it's safe. I'll send somebody up to check on you a couple times a day."

"When will my part be ready?"

"Your part? The dramatic rescue? It's up to you. They'll be dropping clues to you, Purple, not me. It will be your job to keep us informed."

"Right," Purple responded, a feeling of trust, something new, flowing through him when Xloof called him by his name instead of a title. There was still, however, a small insecurity nibbling away at his insides. He reached for the touchpad to open the door, then withdrew his hand slowly. He turned to Xloof with a questioning look. "It seems like you know a lot about what these guys are planning…"

"It's my job to know," he replied. "At least it was when I worked with Red. Old habits die hard."

Purple nodded, smiling slightly. He the door opened and he marched out of the room.

"My Tallest," Xloof whispered from behind him. Purple turned and saw Xloof throwing a black sheet at him. It was the cloak he was wearing earlier. He shook his head in embarrassment and put it on before he was noticed. "Take care," Xloof stated. "And remember, I'm here to help."

Purple disappeared through the mist of the hot pipes, leaving him alone. He shut his door behind him and leaned against it.

"I'm such a liar," he said to himself, massaging his fingers over his eyes, hoping to elude the coming migraine. "Oh, well," he sighed, moving his hand and smirking. "I just hope Purple won't be _too_ angry with me…" He walked over to the video communicator and prepared himself to make another call.

There really wasn't much more to do in the small cage but sleep and be awake. Red had, an unfortunate event for the leader of the Council, grown sick of both.

"What's your name?" he asked. Red was only able to see the outline of the strange Irken from behind his computer monitors and lit up keypads. The leader turned around in his chair, and Red could see his yellow eyes glow angrily. "So, you won't tell me your name? How tall are you, anyway? Just curious. Say, how thick are these bars? They make a hallow sound which I hit them. How big is this room? I don't hear an echo, but it feels really big. Maybe it'd be less empty if you turned some lights on. This cage is really short, too. I can't stand up all the way, I always have to sit or lie down. Lying is boring… It's still really dark. My head still hurts from when you hit me. Can I have a band aid? Are the floors painted black, too? I can't see a damn thing on the ground. I mean, you'd think that there'd be some sort of reflection of a different color it wasn't painted black, you know? Maybe it's maroon, or a dark green. Oh! Oh! What if it's just a really, really dark gray and it's just hard to see in the dark?"

"For the love of all things holy, do you ever shut yer trap?" he spat.

"A name would be nice. That way I wouldn't have to ask as many questions."

"Just call me Faulk, how 'bout that?"

"That doesn't sound like your real name. You look more like a Tim, or a Ralph, but not a Faulk. You know what that sounds like? It kinda sounds like fuc-"

"That's quite enough. My name is Faulk. Just leave it at that. Shut up." Red sighed, getting tired of hearing his own voice talk. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, my Tallest?" Red looked up slightly.

"Like… what?"

"For example, why, exactly, do you get horny at the thought of a gent?"

Red had never thought of himself as someone who got horny at the thought of a guy. Only a few other girls and Purple ever made him feel that way. The girls were just flings, but Purple wasn't one of those people that wouldn't be leaving his life anytime soon.

"Why do you get horny at the thought of a girl?" he countered. Faulk wasn't phased by the question, but instead went on with his sentence as if Red never said anything at all.

"You know you can't stay together, right? The law forbids it."

"Then we'll change the laws."

"But you have to be taller than the previous Tallest to modify their laws."

"I don't see the problem, then."

"You're almost three inches shorter than the Tallest that banned gay gents like you."

Red stood silently for a moment and looked at the ceiling of his cage. "Then we'll grow," he answered simply. "Just because we're tall now doesn't mean we've stopped. We've only just begun." He paused. "Besides, it's completely one-sided, and the only one that knows about it is you. I guess that means I'll just have to kill you."

"What?"

"You make yourself too obvious and open. You never should have talked to me or stepped closer."

"What difference does it make?"

"Your just a short prick. How tall are you? Five feet? A far cry to ever becoming in any decent ruling position, so your predecessors came up with this joke of an organization. You can't rule forever!"

"When will you little bastards learn that it isn't about height?" Faulk sighed, standing a little straighter. "It's the intelligent ones that should make the decisions. You aren't valued 'alf a shilling in brains, and your little faggot friend isn't worth his weight in brawn. Any of you would make a horrible leader to the empire!"

Red glared at him and tried to hide the grimace in his face. He laid down and rolled on his back, away from the Faulk.

"You're just one big soft spot, my Tallest. You let your vulnerabilities out in the open where any scheming genius can see. That's why we're killing you." Red winced. "You're weak. Sure, you may be physically strong, but you're so frail mentally that you'll devolve into something so pitiful that even the shortest won't feel shame spitting on your feet."

"I'm not stupid!" Red countered.

"Stupid? What kind of idiot leaves 'imself blindfolded in the middle of a hallway? You're in a competition to become the next ruler of the empire and you get the hots for the person you're supposed to KILL?"

"You make it seem like it's a bad thing. Isn't it common? Leaders of warring parties falling in love with each other? It happens in all the fairy tales…"

"If you live your life as a fairy tale you're likely to get ye-self killed." Faulk turned and walked back to his computers. Red took it as a hint that his conversation was over, and tried to go back to sleep.


	15. Waiting

Hey, everyone. I kinda had something to say, but I couldn't just... say it...

http/i29 (dot) photobucket (dot) com/albums/c274/beTaL/comicthingy (dot) jpg

You people are so... ignorant! I can't stand you, I really just can't! Before I get to ahead of myself, everyone who gave me kind comments and constructive criticisms were great. You see... I go to college in the deep south, my roommate couldn't stand me, my boyfriend and I eventually moved in together. There really isn't a fairy tale behind it. Yes, I'm a guy. I'm gay. I like stories about gay characters. Is that really so odd that people are constantly confronting me about it? I don't care how many times you say I'm some yaoi fangirl, it won't change the fact that I have a dick. People who reply with flames on the first chapter obviously have no idea and don't really care about what the story was about to begin with. Their soul purpose in life is to make other people feel miserable.

Congradulations. You won. I can't do this anymore. I already get chastised by my parents, my schoolmates, and the people at the apartment. I'm not changing who I am because of a few lame emails where actual people fail, but the magic comes out of inspiration when the ones who read your work start hating you.

So... yeah, not much to say here anymore... Since I heard somewhere that we weren't allowed to write ANs anymore, here's the last chapter of the story I finished... 

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

Waiting. This was the hardest part. Any kind of waiting is hard. Waiting for a big exam to commence, making minutes like milliseconds, that's difficult to deal with. Then there's the kind of waiting as if there's some big party, the good kind of waiting but nevertheless the kind of wait that makes seconds tick away like hours. Unfortunately for Purple, his wait was like the worst of both worlds. The ominous feeling looming in his gut stuck with him wherever he went, but every time he checked a clock only a few minutes had passed. 

After leaving the boiler room, he was welcomed to the Tallest Wing with opened arms. He was surprised how the helpers and drones greeted him with praise. It was all too suspicious. Purple knew that some of them worked for the Council. Not all of them, of course, but it still pestered him trying to be happy with them. Playing 'innocent' was a lot harder that he thought it would be. 

"We have a surprise for you, my Tallest," one of the maids said, bowing and wiggling her antennae. "Check your room, sir, it's really great!" Her face was optimistic, but behind it Purple knew there was something wrong as she started to lead him to the room at the end of the hallway. 

"What happened to Red?" he quizzed her. 

"Your guess is as good as mine," she answered, turning her head slightly. About ten other Irkens were following them, obviously expecting something great as soon as Purple entered the Tallest's bedroom. "He's been missing since yesterday!" she exclaimed. "You're the first one to come back here, and after an absence as long as Red's, it's been declared as a resignation from the fight! You've won, sir!" 

"I… won?" he asked. They had reached the end of the hallway and the huge doors to the lobby swung open. "I don't understand. Where is Red?" 

"We don't know, sir. He's not here, that's for sure," the maid replied. The smaller door to the bedroom opened, and Purple was greeted to a big, purple eyesore. While he was away, his room was redecorated head-to-toe is shades of violet, lavenders, and was given a new, 'soft' theme. All the edges were curved and wavy, looking totally harmless. The one thing that made him feel even more pessimistic was the thought of how long it must have taken to do this. Purple knew that it should haven taken much longer than a few hours for them to rebuild this place from its past 'red' motif it was given earlier. Someone was tipped off or somebody lied to get this started. Whoever was behind the Council definitely wanted Purple to win, and this meant that Red's life was now at stake. 

"Sir," one of the office pencil pushers said next to him, "What would you like to do as far as the ceremony?" 

"Ceremony?" 

"Yes, sir. The Almighty Tallest Coronation Ceremony, the one held for every Tallest." 

"Oh, right… that…" he pulled his eyes away from his new room and looked up in thought. "I want…" 

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0 

"Don't yeh wanna know?" 

"Know what?" 

"What yer lover boy is doing right now." 

"Don't call him that." 

"Still going on, do you want to see him?" 

"…Can I?" 

"'Course! Just look forward." Red looked opposite of where Faulk stood. Something, that he supposed a wall, blinked into a gorgeous space outlook. 

"This view! I know this view!" Red shouted. "This is the window of the cockpit for the Colossal!" 

"Close, but not quite," he announced, pressing a button on a remote to make the view disappear and become replaced with television fuzz. The fuzz blinked away to reveal hidden security camera footage of Purple in his room. 

"What is this?" Red asked. "How did you get cameras in there?" 

"Shaddup and watch, yeh prick." A short, squatty Irken holding a notepad was talking to Purple. 

"Sir, what would you like to do as far as the ceremony?" Purple, seeming like he was distracted, was pulled back into reality by the question. 

"Ceremony?" he asked dumbly. 

"Yes, sir. The Almighty Tallest Coronation Ceremony, the one held for every Tallest." 

"Oh, right… that… I want… I want a dance!" 

"A… dance, sir?" "Yes. I- I think it'll be fun. Invite some officials, and it can be held in the ballroom." 

"It's… a little unconventional, sir, and it may take a while to set up." 

"Oh," Purple said, bringing a claw up to his chin. 

"C'mon, Pur, don't take this shit lying down! You have power now!" Red shouted from his cage. 

"However, if that's what you really want, my Tallest, we can create one for you." 

"Thanks, but I have one condition," he said. 

"Anything, sir." "Make sure Tallest Red is there, or else I won't come." 

"Atta boy!" Red yelled. "Get me outta this hellhole!" 

"Tut, tut. I didn't send amateurs out in the field." 

"I'll take that into consideration, sir, but allow myself to remind you that Red has been recorded missing. If we do find him and bring him to the ceremony, it could jeopardize your chances of being the Tallest." 

"I doubt that," Purple sighed. "Fine, just try, okay?" 

"Okay, sir," the Irken replied, clutching his clipboard and skittering away. He looked more confused than anything. Purple sighed and scratched the back of his head. The transmission fizzed and blinked out. 

"Hey!" Red shouted. "I was watching that!" 

"'Nuff! You're not captive so I can pamper you. You've seen enough of lover boy for today." 

"Quit calling him that." 

"Whatever. I've got work, so you just sit in your little cage and be a good little hostage." Faulk walked away towards the dull light of the monitors. Red tried to crane his head to see what was so important on them, but he was left completely eluded. All he saw were monitors, it looked like hidden camera footage, but at his angle he couldn't see anything straight. 


	16. Questionable Allies

FUCK YOU! You fucking fucks! I hate you all! I hope you all burn in fucking hell and die! You suck! That? You see that? THIS is why people hate you! This is why you live your lives in such a spiteful way. Something I don't like? Well, fuck talking about it, let's screw each other over. What a fucking society we've built. It doesn't get any easier than this, this shit-heap we've created. So here's what you do. You grin. You bear it. You ignore. And you remember.

oOOoOOoOOoOOoOOoOOoOOoOOoOOo

Chapter Sixteen: Questionable Allies

Purple was getting restless. The ceremony was tomorrow. It was an hour before dark on Irk, and he was beginning to give up hope.

"What was Xloof thinking?" he growled. Purple still remembered what Xloof had told him, about how there'd always be a squeaky wheel in a situation like this, and he would find out about Red's whereabouts soon. But when was soon? Purple had a suspicion that as soon as the ceremony was over Red would be gone for good. He couldn't bear it. Purple feel backwards on his bed, or rather, Red's bed. He clutched a maroon pillow and held it close to his chest. There was no trace of Red anywhere anymore. His scent was gone from his room. The workers treated him like he never existed. Purple became more peeved every time he tried to sneak down to the boiler room and they stopped him. He wanted to find Red. He wanted to be with Red. He longed to be with him. Even if Red didn't feel the same, just being in his company would do. He sighed and closed his eyes.

A squeaky wheel. A squeaky wheel. He needed a squeaky wheel. Purple sat up and placed the pillow with the others and walked to his door. He slowly slid it open and noticed the hallway was empty. A perfect chance to sneak to the hover elevators. He opened the door just enough more himself to squeeze by. The coast was clear all down the hall. Purple sighed as he entered the elevator, thankfully it was empty. The ride was quick, with no interruptions.

Ever since Red's absence, Purple had lost all since of time. All he knew was his deadline. It was tomorrow. What time was it now? Midnight? Afternoon? Was it already tomorrow? Purple hadn't slept in days, or at least it felt that way. The doors to the elevator opened swiftly revealing the crimson hues of the boiler room. The colors reminded him of the Tallest wing… It reminded him of Red. He had to see him again.

He marched down the hall to the outside of Xloof's door. Trying to plan his entrance, should he knock or barge in? Purple paused, hearing Xloof's overly loud voice, his less caring voice, carry from the other room.

"I don't care what you have to do, just do it!" he yelled. Purple pressed his antenna up against the door. "We can't let him know, you idiot! It'll ruin everything! We have to make sure he doesn't find out!" Who? Make sure they don't find out what? Purple cursed that he didn't leave earlier so he could catch the beginning. "He's the easy one. Having him follow everything we say will be simple, that's why the other was taken away! The purple one is a loser, he'd never disobey us!" Now, that was just harsh. But why would a friend like Xloof be saying things like this? "Just make sure he doesn't find out where his lover is being held." Lover? Purple blushed. "After all, if he finds out, who knows what kind of passionate, love-making, dry-humping scene he might follow through in front of the lot of them? He could do him in from of the whole Council once they're reunited." This didn't sound like Xloof at all.

Purple felt the weight of the door fall out from under him. He stumbled slightly and looked. He was face to face with Xloof, who had a very placid look on his face. Purple noted that his video communicator wasn't even on.

"Congratulations, Mister Purple," he said calmly, a small smirk creeping on the edges of his lips as he saw the embarrassed, caught look of his Tallest. "You've found the nark."

oOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOo

"I'm hungry."

"Shut up."

"Can I at least have a drink?"

"Shut up!"

"Ah, that's right… I'll just have to use the restroom if I do…"

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! God, do you ever keep yer trap shut more than just five minutes?"

"I can't help it… When I get nervous, I talk."

"Yer not exactly in a situation where you should be talking, Tallest."

"Why do you call me that?"

"What? Tallest?"

"Yeah. You're planning to kill me, aren't you?"

"It's the general idea," Faulk sighed, pressing down on the pressure point between his eyes.

"So, why does it matter?" Red asked. "I mean, you are going to kill me, so why does it matter that you call me Tallest? I haven't gone through the coronation ceremony yet."

"It's a simple matter of dignity. I may as well give you what you don't deserve while you're still alive."

"What's your problem?"

"Who said I had a problem, yeh prick?"

Red had to stand up for this one. "Does anybody even know what you're really up to?" he growled. "You kidnap the wrong Tallest, keep me captive in one of the most obvious locations on the whole Colossal, and you i want /i Purple to find me? That's the most half assed plan I've ever heard! Even if you do kill one of us, what makes you think that you'll get out of this alive? It's suicide!"

"Oh, like you could do any better," Faulk scoffed.

Red could feel blood rush to his head, but didn't let it get the better of him. "Let me out," he said coolly.

"I beg your bloody pardon."

"Do it for yourself, at the very least. What you're doing… it isn't smart."

"Like you know what smart is," he spat. "You've lived your life is your past's shadow. You're nothing compared to the soldier you were before exile."

Red's eyes shot open. There was no way Faulk could've known. Nobody knew. Everybody forgot. It was impossible. "How?" Red trembled slightly, gripping the bars of his cage to keep himself from slipping. "How did you know? Miyuki… she kept that hidden. She was the only one who knew!"

"You really don't remember me at all, do you?" He took Red's silence as a no. "The taller they get, the harder they fall, eh, Reddy?"

"I don't know you! I would never be associated with you, or the Council, for that matter!"

"Oh, don't be so naïve. The Council may be old, but I am a new ruler. I guess you can say I started… about the time of your exile?"

"What?"

"My name wasn't always Faulk. I had to change it as soon as I became a member. You remember me as Private Quake."

Red closed his eyes. "Quake," he repeated slowly. His eyelids lifted quickly as he started sputtering information. "Private Quake! You were in the same sector as me! …But at the time, I was a-"

"Corporal. And your little buddy Sarge got in on my game, too."

"No! Xloof would never join the Council! He would never do that to me!"

"Oh, you'd think," Faulk laughed. "He hopped onboard immediately! Despite his high ranks as a soldier he wanted his involvement to be low-key. His job was to be a double agent, masking as your friend and telling us about your weaknesses. However, he never mentioned ol' Lover Boy."

"Don't call him that!" Red screamed.

"Getting a little testy there, aren't we? You were never this high-strung in the army days. Why change now?"

"Pur… Purple's my friend…"

"He's your ENEMY! Just because you want to bang him doesn't mean he feels the same way. You're all worn out my Tallest. You have no allies, you have no friends, you have no HOPE! You are a failure of a being and you'll never live another day."

"So Purple i is /i going to live?"

"None of you are!"

"What?"

"A tragic accident happened today!" Faulk cackled. It sent terrorized shivers down Red's spine. "Tallest Purple was back stage right before he was about to give his speech when, out of nowhere, a renegade bullet broke through his PAK!"

"You wouldn't."

Faulk walked away back to his monitors. His eyes never left Red's. He flicked a switch that caused the screens to go off, and walked away. Red was left alone in the dark.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I'm back, motherfuckers.


	17. Tomorrow

So I walked up to my friend the other day and asked her what she thought about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then she told me a story. Once upon a time there was a little boy about to enjoy a nice PBJ. He went to the fridge to grab a cool cup of milk, and upon returning, the sandwich was gone! He went out of his hut to find who had stolen his sandwich, and found a clever fox with jelly on his lips. "Why did you steal my sandwich?" the boy asked the fox. Upon questioning, the fox replied, "I didn't steal your sandwich, little boy." Living in the forest where no tropical fruits bared, the boy knew that the only place around for miles was his house, and the only way that the fox could have gotten jelly on his lips is if it were from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This meant that the fox was a lying heathen, so the little boy powered up and used his super mega +9999 damage limit break attack and squashed the wicked fox in two.

I asked my friend what the point of this story was, and her reply was, "Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the shit."

Ten bonus points for the person who can tell me where this story is based on. Hint: Pickleberry Pie!

* * *

"Uh… Xloof… What's going on?" 

"I really wish I could explain, but…" he sighed and brought Purple inside. "Hell, you're gonna hate me for this, but... here it goes." Xloof had the look on his face like he was about to tear off a bandaid. He started speaking quickly, hoping that the sooner the words were said the sooner he could move on. "I heard about the Council from some privates who were in our unit. There was a rumor going around that they were going to enforce the rules even harsher than before, and kill Miyuki for what she did by punishing our quadrant. I joined, but refused to go in too deep. I knew that after Miyuki was knocked off-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Purple said quickly. "You _knew_ about Miyuki being murdered before it happened?"

"It was inevitable. I couldn't do anything about it, I was just one person! But now I have people to back me up… And Red is in trouble, and I joined to help protect him! We have to help him, we have to defeat the Council once and for all!"

"But we don't even know where they are!"

"We do now," Xloof commented with a sly smile. "They're in the thrown room, under the cockpit."

"The thrown room?" Purple repeated. "Of course, the thrown room! It gets locked up when the Tallest is away. And since there isn't a Tallest in session, it was closed until one of us was crowned!"

"It was the first place we should have suspected. It's roomy enough to pull off a stunt that big…"

"I don't understand," Purple commented, scratching the back of his head as Xloof ran into his closet. "If you're working for the Council, how come you didn't know about the place where they were keeping Red?"

"Hey, kid, just because I worked closely with Red doesn't mean that the Council treats me like a brother," he huffed, reaching for something on the top shelf.

"What do you need?"

"This bag. I try not to start a mission without it." Purple lifted his hand and grabbed it easily. "Thanks," he sighed, pulling on his antennae.

"Are you alright? You look nervous…"

Xloof glanced up at Purple, to the floor, and then to his bag. "It's… nothing, it's nothing." He opened his bag and pulled out a gun. "I'm just a little anxious, is all. In all our past missions for the empire, there was never a hostage situation. We made sure everyone was well taken care of. I haven't had much practice in the position, is all."

"Don't worry," Purple said calmly, placing his claws in his shoulder. Xloof looked back at his eyes again. "It's me they're after. They wouldn't kill someone involved as little as you were."

"Are you kidding, boy?" Xloof scoffed. Purple was taken aback at the name, but it was Xloof, so he let it slide. Besides, he had been called worse things by lower people in his years as an apprentice, and Xloof was… a friend? Purple shook the idea out of his head. No, he was only an ally. He had to remember that. "I've never feared for my own life, that's a coward's way of living. There's no honor when you're more concerned about yourself than the Irken next to you."

Purple was touched by his words. At least he was serious about this rescue mission. He smiled and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Is there a gun in there for me?"

* * *

Red was alone. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink in the past three days. Normally his PAK would feed him what he needed to survive by pumping nutrients straight to his stomach, but those reserves ran out a long time ago. He barely had any energy to talk. Faulk hadn't visited him since their last talk. The only Irkens who stopped by were nameless faces who refused to bring him any food. 

"My Tallest." The voice was faint. Red wasn't sure if it was a memory replaying in the back of his head. He rolled over on his side and saw that the room was empty, and only one soldier remained. He was respectively tall, but nothing close to the height of himself.

"Food," Red gasped softly. The Irken frowned slightly and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, my Tallest, I have none. I have news, from the outside."

"Ah… ah sh'ide?" he slurred. It was becoming harder to talk.

"Yes, sir. I'm a friend. Your ally Xloof has sent out a message to all other people who were asked to help to step forward. It's only a matter of time, we'll get you out of here."

Red paused, eyes twitching trying to think about what this meant. Freedom. It seemed like a joke now. "Is… he okay?"

"Xloof?"

Red grunted. "Pur."

"I'm sorry, sir, I-"

"Hey! No talking to the prisoner!" The soldier looked behind Red and nodded. "Just try to stay awake," he whispered quickly. He stood up quickly, nodded an apology, and walked off. Red sighed, trying to fight sleep. He wasn't sure if he'd wake up. There was too much to worry about. Was Purple okay? Would he ever see him again? What about the empire, the world at large? Things were starting to gray out. No matter how much he wrestled with himself, his world slowly faded to black.

The soldier walked quickly down an empty hallway. A door opened from behind and he froze.

"Where do you think you're going, soldier?"

The Irken took a deep breath and turned around to face his other leader.

"Home, sir," he said, bowing slightly. "My shift is over."

Faulk stared at him for a moment and whispered to a shorter stooge behind him. He nodded and Faulk turned back to him. "Very good Cadet." He nodded and walked away, the stooge repeating some notes he took on his clipboard.

"Anyway, sir, we've been monitoring his heart rate and vitals. I wouldn't give him another day. I've never seen anyone die so quickly through starvation. We've also slipped a sedative fog into the room during night. That should cause him to—" His voice stopped abruptly behind another closed door. The Cadet was tempted to eavesdrop, but the new information burned in his mind.

_'I wouldn't give him another day.'_

He started walking down the hall again, and once he was out of the Council headquarters, he ran. He sprinted down the stairs in the back of the ship, neglected and rusty, until he made it all the way to the very bottom of the ship. He forced open a corroded door with the decaying words 'boiler room' and rushed towards the head office. Before he could reach for the keypad, the door swished open.

Xloof and Tallest Purple stood in front of his holding guns.

"My Tallest," the soldier said slowly. He never saw a Tallest up close, except for Red, but he was always sleeping whenever he checked on him. He shook his head and focused on their weapons. "How did you know so soon?"

"About what?" Xloof asked.

"It's Red. I saw a Medic walking with Faulk. He doesn't give him until tomorrow."

Purple slowly released his guns and they clattered on the floor. "What?"

* * *

tbc 

I'm kinda new to this editing program the site offers. It's really cool! I didn't know I could make those little bar thingies...


	18. Getting Ready

So, it turned out that I had written chapter 18 a while ago in a different document, and I forgot... my bad... It's unreasonably short (my writing's gotten better, I like to think. I look back at this story and throw up a little in the back of my mouth).

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Getting Ready

"We're leaving."

"What?"

"Now. We're leaving now."

Xloof followed Purple as he stormed past the Irken spy and towards the door. "You can't be serious! I haven't called for the backup to assemble yet!"

"He is going to die!" Purple screamed. "I can't let that happen! You said yourself that it was your responsibility to protect him! It's mine, too. I'm not about to let him die, not until I see him one last time."

Xloof sighed, rubbing his temple. "Kid, listen, you can't be so rash. We have to plan. We need at least a few hours to get everyone together, and-"

"Sir," the Irken said. "Permission to speak freely." He glanced nervously from Xloof to Purple. The Tallest gave him an aggravated look and nodded.

"Sir, we only have a limited time," he commented to Xloof. "Allow me to go gather the others. Just tell me where they are and where you want them to be. I'll make sure to get everyone there in time."

The Irken shifted his gaze between his two leaders. Xloof looked up to Purple and back to him. "What's your name, kid?"

"Grappa, sir."

"You're a good soldier, kid. I can get the jerks in the boiler room together, no problem. We have a small bunker up in sectors A and R, about fifty soldiers from there. We can handle the others from sector G."

"Fifty? That's a lot…"

"Think it's going to be a problem getting them there all at once?"

"No, no sir I'll be fine."

Xloof explained to the soldier exactly where and at what time to bring the others to the thrown room. Personally, all the directions and orders were beyond Purple. Xloof seemed like a natural leader. He supposed he had to be if he even commanded above Red at one point. Purple felt so disappointed. He knew that if he and Red were in opposite situations Red would have barged in the minute he was missing to rescue him… Or maybe not. He knew there was no way Red would ever feel the same way, he was the brooding ex-corporal like from the movies. Straight as an arrow.

Purple dragged himself out of his false hope daydream as Xloof wrapped up the conversation and patted the poor soldier on the back. He looked so nervous. They knew that bringing all the soldiers to one place at one time would ruin the surprise part of the scheme, but it hopefully they would be able to overpower them physically. Just maybe…

Yeah, right. The Council had an army on their side. All Purple had were just south of a hundred Minute Men.

"Any advice, sir?" Grappa asked, taking mental note of where he was supposed to get the others.

"Yeah. Bring guns. Lots of them. Dismissed." Grappa saluted and quickly exited the room. Xloof scratched the back of his head as the door shut and turned the Purple.

"So, how do you feel about this, kid?"

"Okay, I guess. Now or never," he gulped. Xloof twirled the gun coolly in his fingers, taking out a holster from the bag and attaching it to his pants, then placing the weapon inside.

"We have a good hour before we have to meet Grappa there with the others. Anything you care to do?"

"Maybe… I don't know. Can we scout the place?"

"What do you mean? Didn't you spend a lot of time there as an apprentice? You should know your way around fine."

"Yeah, but…" he paused and glanced towards the door and then the ground. "I just want to be… near him, y'know?"

Xloof nodded slowly, mouth curved in a tight smirk. "I see." He reached into the bag on his cot and took out another gun, placing it in the empty holster on his opposite hip. "I supposed it won't kill us to check in on him a little early," he sighed. "Well, maybe it will, but… you know."

Purple laughed nervously and whispered a silent prayer before Xloof opened the door. He took a step out and motioned for Purple to stay put.

"Attention everyone!" he directed towards the boiler room. The Irkens, drenched in sweat, crept out of the mist and stood still. Purple was almost in awe. The twenty-something boiler room workers were paying so much attention to someone like Xloof. It made him wonder just how much power he'd have as a Tallest, and taking control of the entire civilization. "Remember that little problem I told you guys about?" There was a soft chuckle that loomed over the room. Some of them nodded their heads slowly. "Today's the day we eradicate it. Take your positions at 1800." He turned to Purple and motioned his head for him to follow. Purple walking out of the room and immediately the room of Irkens bowed, heads touching the floor, and antennas wiggling madly.

"Cool," Purple replied to the movement breathlessly.

"I need two of you to scout the place early. Volunteers?" Without saying a word, two of the Irkens near the front ran out the door, not making a sound. "We'll wait here while they get a head start."

"Efficient little creatures, aren't they?" Purple replied.

"Watch what you call them, kid. Boiler Room workers are rarely here from the start, you know that. They're talented at what they do and are fiercely loyal. This is where you send the ones that you care about but have to 'punish' in the public eye."

"So, all of you are down here as punishment."

"Miyuki was a tough bitch, but she was nice."

Purple gave Xloof a look at what he called their previous Tallest, but soon ignored it. "So, who were those two?" he asked of the two that just left.

"Spies. Beka and Trennet. You remember them?"

If it were possible, Purple's eyes would have grown twice their size. "Beka and Trennet? The same Beka and Trennet that murdered the high commander of the Khallex nation and completely destroyed all chances of peace? We've been at war with them ever since!"

"Yeah," Xloof commented dully, scratching the back of his head.

"How the hell did they escape execution?"

"Kid, please, keep your voice down. These Irkens are your friends, remember? You gotta learn to take the good with the bad. Sure, they killed people, but they also come in handy when you're in a sticky situation."

"How so?" Purple huffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, scouting and recon, that's where they get the job done."

Scouting and recon, that was all, Purple told himself. They wouldn't do anything crazy until they were told. He glanced back into Xloof's room and looked at the clock attached to the wall. They only had fifty-five minutes to get to the Council's base of operations before the Minute Men arrived.

As if reading his thoughts, Xloof spoke up. "You wanna go ahead?" he asked. Purple looked down on him and nodded. "Alright," he motioned towards the Irkens, and five nodded and dashed away.

"Where are they going?" Purple asked.

"Well, those were Pla, Pli, Plu, Ple, and Plo. Do I have to remind you who they were?" Although his back was turned, Purple could almost feel the smirk radiating off his face. All the same, Xloof could feel the color in Purple's cheeks fade.

"The pyromaniacs that destroyed planet Prexias?" he gulped.

"Good boy," Xloof chuckled. "You did your homework."

"How could Miyuki possibly let them go?"

"I told you she didn't like killing," Xloof commented, peaking out the door to see if the coast was clear. Plu gave him a thumbs up. "What better place to store a bunch of pyros than a boiler room?"

"You mean the Irkens heating up Tallest Miyuki's baths all these years were them?" he cried. Xloof brought his finger to his mouth quickly and shushed him.

"We're about to leave. Ready?"

Purple tried to stop the pounding in his chest. He quickly found himself experiencing one of the most awkward emotions he had ever felt. He wasn't scared about getting caught along the way, or the Council finding out about them, or getting killed in battle. He found himself flustered with a more difficult problem.

What was he going to say to Red when he saw him again? Would he act suave and professional, or weepy and happy? Probably most important: What would Red say?

Purple nodded towards Xloof. They crept through the hallway towards the hover elevators that would take them to the Tallest Wing, followed closely by eighteen of the most heavily armed and trained Irken soldiers the empire had ever seen.

* * *

tbc... 


	19. The Road

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'wtf is this badass doing back on the site after he promised he'd never return?'

I felt awful about leaving people high and dry with this story. I went back through a few old chapters and couldn't believe the way I behaved to you (and also how terrible I wrote a few years ago... ick...) I would like to sincerely apologize for my actions, and for anything I could have said to you outside of the context of the story that could have made you feel upset in any way.

That said, and I know this is going to sound absolutely terrible, I don't exactly remember what was going on in this story (in my defense, I've been working on another fic that's 200+ pages that's drained most of my creative energy for the past year). So, if things seem a little choppy from the previous chapter to this one, once again my apologies.

* * *

The quickest way to the throne room would be to use the Tallest Wing in the Colossus to sneak into the bedroom. From there, the hidden elevator would take one to the cockpit, where the connected thrown room would be a breezy jaunt away. Unfortunately for Purple and Xloof, security was tight and lurking with shadowy members of the Council. 

Luckily for them, however, the boiler room was gifted with the five most talented flamethrower artisans the Irken Empire had ever known. The quintuplets completely scorched the halls of the Tallest Wing, which left the Council members out of the shadows and fleeing for their lives. Amongst the chaos, nobody noticed the two hovering bodies making their way the opposite direction against the wall.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Purple whispered, his voice choking on the smoke clogging the filter in his PAK. "Don't you think someone might notice a fire breaking out here?"

Xloof rolled his eyes and continuously nudged Purple in the small of the back when it was okay to keep moving. "You worry to much, kid," he sighed, holding his sleeve to his mouth. "They know what they're doing. They've been raising hell since before you were hatched."

Purple tried to blink several times to keep his eyes from drying out while keeping up his pace walking down the hall. Eventually he was able to open the door to the lobby wide enough to allow Xloof's large frame fit through. As soon as his comrade was inside, he slammed the door shut. The familiar echo haunted him as he made his way to the opposite side, to the room he knew that the elevator was secretly hidden.

The bedroom was creepily red and left the Tallest-to-be chilled at how green it used to be, and how Miyuki used to sleep in that bed and how she would comment on his height everyday as she laid peacefully on her jade shez lounge. Another poke at the base of his spine reminded him on what he was set out to do. The bright red walls and stunning black furniture reminded him of Red's old façade. He always acted on a whim and always so vicious. Purple wondered briefly if the trauma changed him at all.

Inside the elevator Purple's breath became labored. "Are you okay?" Xloof whispered, holding his breath for the sake of getting caught. Purple glanced at him, and the emotion in his beady violet eyes was all the sergeant needed to understand. The kid was damn scared, and Xloof wouldn't put it past himself to deny that he was a bit nervous himself. No one had stood up to the Council before, at the very least not like this. Out of habit, the shorter Irken nervously cocked both laser pistols in their holsters, silently prepping for any worst-case scenario.

The elevator started slowing as it reached the top of the Colossus. "What if this really is all a trick?" Purple gulped. Just as the door released its airlock, Xloof shoved the younger Irken to the side when the door whisked open. Immediately a shot was aimed just above Xloof's head, obviously aiming for what would have been Purple's heart.

"Dammit!" Xloof hollered, firing shot after shot. Purple could only assume that there were guards protecting the secret elevator. He should have known that the Organization would have planned for this. The beams of lasers rocketing out of the pistol lit up the darkened hallway until Xloof fired one last shot into the PAK of an Irken who was still twitching. "Fuck," he sighed under his breath. Purple chanced a peek from behind the door and saw a pile of five Irkens lying in a smoking heap. The Council had enough members to have five people guarding a single entry place. Purple didn't like the grim changes they were facing.

Purple slipped around the bodies, gulping and trying to ignore the fact that he just stepped in a puddle of crucial life-supporting goo leaking from a PAK. Xloof stopped him with a nervous tisk. "It's too dangerous, kid. Let me go ahead."

"No," Purple replied, looking the shorter one in the eye. "We'll go together." They both nodded before he turned the next corner, only to be met with more soldiers. There were six of them this time, halting from a quick sprint to the elevators. All had their pistols up and aimed at Purple's chest. The violet Irken held his hands up, looking to the side nervously. Xloof wasn't there.

"We don't want to shoot!" the leader in front, slowly advancing. "Just come quietly and we promise no one will get hurt."

The leader spun dramatically before falling to the ground, screaming in pain before becoming dead still. The others stared at the body before each rapidly started screaming and grabbing vital body parts that had been hit with a laser shot. Xloof appeared next to Purple again, much to his relief, and blew on the smoking end of his pistol before pocketing it in his holster. "I told you it'd be dangerous. Don't ever trust these guys," he chided before patting the Tallest on the shoulder and walked ahead. "Good news. The quintuplets finished cleaning up the Tallest Wing of the Council, so they've moved up here."

"That was fast…" Purple sighed.

"The ventilation system," Xloof said, pointing towards the air vents running above them in all directions.

"They were able to get rid of all of the Council in the wing," Purple said happily. "I feel better about finding Red, now."

Xloof nodded, coming up to another door. "Don't hold your breath, kid. We still have a long way to go." The door whisked open to reveal a stairwell to the upper floor, and a single Irken servant carrying a tray of food with him. "Hello? What have we here?" The Irken panicked at the sight of the Tallest and Xloof's pistols and tried to scramble his way up the stairs. The sound of the gun charging quickly made the servant stop and flinch.

"Please don't kill me!" he cried. "I never did anything to hurt anyone!" He shriveled in the corner and held his tiny, gloved arms in front of his face. Xloof smiled grimly and stepped forward, aiming the gun point-blank at the servant's chest.

Purple sighed, fully expecting Xloof to just shoot the poor creature already. His eyes traveled to the tray of food that was dropped on the ground. "One second," he stated, Xloof glanced back at the Tallest, but keeping his pistol securely aimed at the smaller Irken. "Who's that food for?"

"Does it matter?" Xloof grumbled.

The servant took a moment to lower his arms and examine the food on the tray. Refusing to make eye contact, he replied boldly, "It's confidential. Kill me if you want, I'll never reveal the secrets of the Council!"

"A little brave now, aren't you?" Xloof cackled, turning his attention back to the servant.

"No, hold it," Purple stated, bending down and picking up the platter that once held the meal. "Tell me. Who was this food for?"

The servant sighed, his antenna lowering somberly. "I'll die if I tell your or not, right?" he mumbled. He looked at Purple. "They keep him in a cage upstairs, y'know? It looks really uncomfortable. I overheard Faulk talking about it, and they don't give him a day left to live! I couldn't live in good faith knowing that I could have done something for him…"

Purple nodded, causing Xloof to lower his pistol. "He's a good Irken," Purple said softly. "I can't support his attachment in the Council, though. I'll put him in the boiler room, to keep an eye on him…"

Xloof looked down at the Irken slave, who seemed utterly confused. "S'kay, kid. You're one of us now." He held out a hand to the young servant, who examined it warily before accepting the help to stand back up. Irkens of Xloof's stature, and most definitely that of the Tallest, would ignore him completely. It felt wonderful being accepted like this.

"Does this mean you can stop calling me 'kid'?" Purple asked. "Maybe start addressing me as your leader?"

Xloof snorted. "You're not my leader yet, punk. And as long as I'm older than you you'll always be a kid to me." Xloof turned to the young servant. "And you! You'd consider yourself an inside Irken, right?"

The boy nodded nervously. "Yessir!" His antenna wiggled slightly out of habit.

"Then I want you to go upstairs. You never saw us, understand? Take a good look

and come back to tell us the details."

The Irken nodded his head, determination filled his eyes. He rushed up the rest of the stairs, forgetting about the spilled food. Xloof and Purple let out a breath when they heard the door to the thrown room whisk shut. "Do you think he'll rat on us?" Purple asked. Xloof glanced at him, smirking. "You're the one who told me not to trust any of them."

"He's a servant, not a soldier," Xloof commented, waiting a moment to think before continuing. "Whether or not he acts as a snitch for the Council, he won't be rewarded. That's the problem with being born short."

"Any this Council… they're against the height rule?" Purple asked, finding the idea hard to swallow.

"I know," Xloof scoffed, feeling the same. He didn't know what he'd do without absolute command over the shorter Irkens in the boiler room. The only reason he had control over Red when he worked down there was because Miyuki ordered him to be submissive.

The door whisked open once more and Purple found himself drawing for the gun Xloof had given him for the first time. The pattering of little feet soon revealed the servant from before as he gripped onto the banister, panting and bowing slightly.

"It's nightmare in there!" he cried. "There's five Irkens, can't be older that mere smeets! They're attacking the soldiers with fire cannon attachments to their PAKs!"

Xloof let out a wide grin, and Purple could practically read his thoughts. The stout Irken removed one of his pistols from the holster and tossed it at the little servant. The firearm was so big compared to the little creature that he almost fell over catching it. "You might need some protection," Xloof said with a wink as he bounded up the stairs. Purple swallowed his nerve and followed close behind. The slave tagged along, trying to figure out how the pistol worked and prayed to Spork that he wouldn't get slaughtered.

-

* * *

**-**

**AN:  
**This is one of those notes, mostly to myself, on what I believe the Colossus looks like. Everything relating to royalty and Tallest stuff is shoved towards the front (maybe not the most intelligent idea as far as battling and safety of the Tallest is concerned, but it's not like Irkens were ever the smartest of species.) And lesser known/short Irkens are near the bottom/back of the ship. The Tallest Wing is directly connected to the flight deck only one way, the secret elevator used to protect the Tallest in case of emergency. That's the elevator Purple and Xloof went on. The flight deck is under the throne room, which uses the same window/windshield kind of thing to look out from (in a previous chapter, I think it was Red, thought that he was being held hostage on the flight deck, but it was in fact the throne room.) The reason why he's being held hostage in the thrown room is because the room is supposed to be locked and abandoned during the Tallest trials (and historically, this is the only time when the throne room is allowed to be vacated. Tallest spend all their time either in the thrown room relaxing or sleeping in their bed chamber with little other traveling outside that little bubble. Boring, no? We'll touch the topic of Tallest politics and social behavior in a later chapter.)


End file.
